The Earth Shaker
by Christi shadowhunter
Summary: We thought Percy Jackson was the only heir of Neptune or Poseidon. We were wrong. Leila has a power. On command, she can cause the earth to split, shake and rumble. Hail Leila, daughter of the earth shaker.
1. Chapter 1

I wish I lived in California.

If I lived in California, I could blame what happened on the San Andres Fault. Unfortunately, I live in No Name, USA. I haven't even been to California, so, no San Andreas Fault to the rescue.

Dylan said I should tell you my story. Of course, Dylan also told me to stab a sword at him, so I'm not sure what qualifies him to give advice. I guess, despite it all, Dylan does know what he's doing. Sometimes.

As far as you know, I'm a 16 year old girl from a town literally called No Name. I go to a boarding school in Chicago, which, if you know anything about geography, is also not in California. That boarding school I mentioned? It's more like a correctional facility for troubled youth than a boarding school. It also happens to be a pile of rubble now.

Whoops.

A small disclaimer before I continue. The story I am about to tell you is rated N for NEVER TRY AT HOME. Or anywhere else, before you ask. Rated N for trespassing on mother natures face, destruction of private property AKA blowing things up, and playing with knives. The playing with knives was my favorite part.

One final disclaimer. This story will do one of two things for you. It could help you survive, in which case, great!

Or, it could make you a target. In which case, congrats.

You'll die.

My name is Leilani Inigo. My friends call me Leila, and my enemies do too. And up until my school was invaded by a multi-headed THING, my day was going great.


	2. Meet Dylan, the psycho sidekick

Chapter one

For all of you morning people out there, you have my respect. There's nothing I hate more than waking up at 6:30 to hard core rock music, not that waking up to classical or country is any better.

Now that you've learned that little tidbit about me, maybe you can understand my absolute loathing after waking up to my first day of another week. Welcome to Intercity Chicago Boarding School. (And correctional facility. Though that part isn't in the actual title.)

The only thing that makes me actually get out of bed is the thought that if I don't, Dylan will break down my door and DRAG me out. I rather like my door on its hinges. So I force my butt off the bed and put on a white shirt and denim shorts. Then there's the silver necklace, the one my mom gave me as a symbol of her "love" before she shipped me off to this place. Each night I swear to myself I won't put it on, that I'll revenge my mothers betrayal eye for an eye.

All I had done was have a little fun. Some innocent graffiti on that old cat lady's porch. A good laugh all around, right?

Wrong. Someone sold my buddies and I out to the police. I was the only one with a parent that agreed to ship me off to boarding school in Chicago. I shove an angry hand through my green hair. Yes. I said green. My hair is the color of well watered grass, lush green. Not naturally, of course, but since coming to Intercity, I've had to change up my looks a little bit. Intercity is a make it or break it kind of school. And by break it, I mean bones. You can't make it if you don't look the part.

"Leila?" I hear rapid, heavy knocks on my dorm room door. I can see Dylan in the peep hole, but that's not what tells me it's him. Ever since day one, he's been stuck to me like glue. Not in a needy please-be-my-friend way, but with a stubborn and somewhat protective decisiveness. I unlatch my door, inching it open ever so slightly.

"Yes?" I have to rise to my tip toes in order to go face to face with Dylan, which is miffing considering I'm not exactly short (though, granted, I'm not really tall, either.) He has at least five inches on me, not counting his spiky black hair.

"The princess awakes." Dylan commented with a sly grin, a corner of his mouth quirking upward. He brushes off his motorcycle jacket, dark, like Dylan's other clothes. And his hair. And eyes. And his soul.

To be honest, I can't remember exactly what Dylan did to be thrown in here. I vaguely remember mentions of riots against ISIS, which fits his background. His mom, a native Iranian had been an avid freedom fighter, rebelling against the terrorist groups. Which one, I couldn't say. You'll notice I said had and been.

When Dylan was four, he was shipped off to the USA to be with an uncle or something. His mom had been killed by a suicide bomber. Where it happened, wait for it, I don't know.

Before you say I have a horrible memory, I'll clarify. Dylan (gasp of surprise) doesn't like to talk about it.

"The princess is hungry." I say, trying to bypass Dylan and step out of my door. But Dylan has height, weight, and strength against me. It would have been easier to shove a rock. At least the rock wouldn't laugh at me. Anger bubbles up in my stomach. Red hot rage flares within me, like a furnace has been lit.

Who said punks can't be poetic? We all have our moments.

I shove Dylan as hard as I can. He staggers backward just enough for a crack to appear between him and my doorway. I squeeze through and bolt down the hallway. Since Dylan isn't a gentleman (no one at this school is.) he doesn't just take it.

We've already established Dylan has been blessed by the angels, or whatever, in the area of strength, yes? Good. You already have a better memory than me. (Or at least a better memory than what you think I have.)

Dylan catches up to me easily and I feel his hands on my waist, swinging me into the air. He hold me upside down, high enough in the air that only the tips of my hair hang down onto the floor. I can hear blood rush to my head. "Let me go! Put me down!" I shout, twisting ferociously in Dylan's grip. I manage to kick him in the chest, and I feel him wince. Good. Let him feel Princess's wrath.

I realize the sly look Dylan gives me a moment too late. Before I can think of a word to say that would get me banned from a church, Dylan has done as I asked. He dropped me.

On my head. Should've seen that one coming. "Whoops." Dylan gives me a fake apologetic look. "You know, I wouldn't be surprised if that's what your parents did to you when you were young. It would explain a few things." He says sincerely. "I'll bet your mom took you surfing when you were young and you smacked your head on the board." For those of you who aren't Dylan, (and if you are, Dylan, I hate you.) let me explain. My mom was a world class surfer. Back in her teens and twenties, before I was born, she had it all. Sponsorships. Trophies.

Then she had me, and all the sudden dropped it all and went to Colorado. Colorado, of all places, the most landlocked state there is. She became a tour guide to the Garden of the Gods, and buried her surfing things deep in the basement, where she thought I could never find it.

But one day, I did. I saw the surfboard surrounded by magazine articles and shinny gold medals. I remember running my hand along the board and FEELING the ocean. Feeling the power of the waves, feeling the might of the water.

There. That's my sentimental moment of the day. Or week. You know, just savor it while it lasts, 'cause I don't get touchy feely often.

I peel myself off the floor, swinging a punch at Dylan, only half kidding. He grabbed my fist out of the air, wrapping his hand around mine. He yanked my arm upward, pushing me back slowly. I pull back, yanking my arm away from him. "Whatever. I'm going to get breakfast." I turn and walk away. I'm halfway to the dorm cafeteria when I hear Dylan call,

"They stopped serving breakfast thirty minutes ago!" I knew I couldn't be that lucky.


	3. Tis the season for multi headed monsters

Chapter two

Tis' the season for multi headed monsters.

I'm sure at one point or another we've all been sent to the hallway for a talking to from a teacher. But I'll bet you fifty bucks (that may or may not be stolen) that the teacher never turned into a multi headed monster. (Literally. Not mentally)

But more on that later.

For the record, being a 'bad student' wasn't entirely my fault. It's enraging to try and concentrate with extreme ADHD and dyslexia. The girls who were pointing and laughing didn't help, either. "Leila, how will you read to your kids? You'll be as horrible of a mom as your mom!" Jessica yells. To give credit were credit is due, it's probably the best 'your mom' insult I've heard.

Jessica is the resident valley girl with a slight Texan accent. The word on the street is she has a shop lifting problem. She has big brown curls and a face painted with makeup. And I mean PAINTED. Oh, and she flirts with Dylan. Constantly. I was about to stand up and punch her in the face, but Dylan grabbed my arm, forcing me back down. "Of course, Dylan and I are destined to be married, so I don't know who would even have kids with you," Jessica continued. She and Dylan weren't even dating!

"How full of it are you? What do you think Dylan is, property? Honestly, your a..." I was screaming at the top of my lungs. I don't even know why it made me so angry.

"LEILA!" Mrs. Carlson stops teaching and yells my name. Well, there goes my head. "May I ask, why you are yelling at poor, innocent Jessica?" Poor? Innocent? Bite me, Jessica.

Of course, unless you're new to this trip, you know my mouth runs away sometimes. Or, you know, always. "No. No you may not ask."

In my defense, if we all ignored what just happened, we could continue to live happily and sing Kumbaya around the fire.

Or whatever punks sing instead of Kumbaya. Maybe some Green Day.

"Hall." Mrs. Carlson points to the door. "NOW!" I found it disturbing that although she was an English teacher, she couldn't speak in complete sentences. We need to rethink the standards of teaching, rather than punishing kids who have the courage to point it out.

I bit my lower lip angrily, giving Jessica a kill-you-later-glare. Think of it as an IOU an insult. Or a punch in the face. I shoved my chair into its place, making a loud clang resound through the room. It took a lot of effort to hold my head high as I stalked out of the room. I could see all the students holding hands to their mouths, suppressing laughs. At the front of the room, Mrs. Carlson grabbed my arm, squeezing it much tighter than necessary with what were either very long fingernails, or...talons?

Before my eyes could widen in astonishment, she shoved me forward like I was some kind of prisoner. Which, in this God forsaken school, is depressingly accurate. My shoulder rammed into the door frame on the way out, pain blossoming across my arm. The last peek I got of the class room that I was, oddly enough, missing right now, was Dylan reaching for his belt, as though he was about to draw a pistol.

Mrs. Carlson released me, shoving me backward against the wall. I clutched my aching shoulder, stumbling over my own feet. "Hey! What's the big idea?" I hated that my voice came out as a whimper. Mrs. Carlson shoved the sleeves of her green dress-which, side note, was the color and texture of scales-up to her elbow. Even if you're recently joining this show, you know I have my fair share of street cred.' I know when someone is bracing to fight.

Apparently, what I don't know is when someone is preparing to explode into a monster with three heads. See what they don't teach you in school? Teaching standards seriously need to be rethought. Brig it up with your school board for me. Mrs. Carlson's stomach split open, lizard like feet expanding beneath her. Her dress tore in half, dropping to the floor to reveal a scaly green and pink body, bulging into a mass the size of a Christmas tree. Her head cracked in two and three reptile heads with necks like snakes crawled out.

Heck, I'm not afraid to admit it. I screamed. The Mrs-Carlson-thing didn't appreciate that. The middle head flicked it's split tongue at me, then snapped it's neck out at me like a taunt rope. It hit me on the backs of my knees, knocking me onto my back. The heads reared back for another strike and I quickly scrambled to my feet, raising my elbows to my face.

In a fair fight, normally I have a good chance of being the last man standing. My mom made me take years of karate lessons, so many I had lost track. For those of you who hadn't figured it out yet, this was far from a fair fight. The left head swung downward, a reptilian club, seconds away from crushing me. I raised my hands and stepped back. I could feel something in my heart tightening, an odd pull from within. The ground beneath me jumped, rolling up and down. The head stopped swinging and returned to its position, mildly confused.

I screamed again in panic, in part from the fact that I seemed to be causing an earthquake, in part because I was about to be eaten by a monster that was my language arts teacher. The earth shook more as my scream vibrated across the school. I lost my balance and fell to the ground. My back smacked into an upheaved chunk of foundation, my head whipping back upward. A loud rumble rang in my ears. Walls were shaking, student projects and posters falling off and fluttering to the ground, moments before sections of wall crumble to rock and dust. Everything looked like the earth was on top of a massage chair set on vibrate.

Through blurry vision, I caught a glance of the ceiling collapsing above the monster, crushing it under bits of construction material. Dust billowed around me, obstructing my sight from catching what happened next. Crashing sounds and screams echoed in my ears. I took a deep breath, coming to terms that it might be my final one. If the monster didn't kill me, falling hunks of rubble would.

The building slowly stopped shaking, the dust and rubble settling. The calmer I became, the more the world stilled. I saw Dylan standing above the flattened-but-moving-monster, holding a...sword. With a single flick of his arm, he drove the sword into the monster's midsection. It withered angrily, but lay still after a mere second.

Dylan removed the sword from the dead monster. That's the only clear thing I saw before the ruins of my school started viciously spinning. Dark spots whirled around my eyes like little ballet dancers. With dust raining around me and a crevice in the floor beside me, I sank into the ever extensive darkness.

AN: merry christmas, happy holidays ETC everybody!


	4. We all live on a giant plate of jello

Chapter three

We all live on a giant plate of jello

For once, the forest I found myself in wasn't made of metal. I knew this place from memory. My home that I'm no longer welcome in, in Colorado. I stood just beyond the fence that marked the edge of my family's territory. Pine trees burst on all sides of me, the needles only a few shades darker than my hair.

Why was I back in Colorado, hours away from where I had been seconds before? I remember the monster and Dylan and the earthquake and passing out, things straight out of my nightmares. That was it. I had hit my head messing around with Dylan this morning and passed out, dreaming everything. I must have gotten a concussion and the school nurse had sent me home. That was what had happened. It was all a nightmare. I sighed in relief, tension rolling off of me.

"Poor girl. You have no idea what's to come." A voice purrs behind me. I whirled around with a gasp. A woman was standing in-between trees, a dark shawl wrapped around her hair and shoulders. Her face was obscured from vision, shadows falling across her in eerie plates. But to take the cake, her feet and the bottom of her black funeral dress seemed to blend into the ground. Dirt seemed to reach up and swirl around her ankles, tendrils of earth crawling up her legs. If I concentrated, I could see her dress was created from the dirt, shifting ever so slightly with each movement.

"Who are you?" I squinted at her, shuffling backward slightly. I would have loved Dylan's sword right now, just in case.

"I am the earth you split. I am the dirt and trees and ground. My son will cause your destruction, as I gave my life force for him to do. You may be the earth shaker, but I am the earth itself!" The woman shouted the final words, and the ground beneath me bubbled like boiling water. I backed up quickly, tripping over a fallen branch. I fell over backward with a shout, but when I hit the ground, I went THROUGH it, like it was Jello.

I was free falling through a hole that never ended, sinking through the soil. I could feel gravity yanking me downward. I think my stomach got left somewhere near Earth's mantle.

I jolted awake, clasping the sides of a bed that was unfamiliar and strange. The dirt and forrest were gone, replaced by a small room. I was lying in a queen sized bed with plaid comforters I'd never seen before. Chipped floral wallpaper was on my left. In front of me, a faded brown dresser held up a small TV that probably hadn't been turned on since the 90's. Another bed was to my right, a bedside table in-between holding a lamp and alarm clock.

In a separate room, I could hear water running. I sat up and almost rolled off the bed. My head throbbed like Skrillex was dropping the bass inside it. I doubled over, groaning. The door that separated me from the other room opened and Dylan walked out. Black goo streaked across one of his cheeks and his hair. The sword I had seen him draw before was stuck through his belt, coated in the same goo. He crouched next to me. "What happened? Where are we?" I asked him. I had trouble focusing on his face.

"Here. Eat this." He handed me a small pouch with a fine silvery powder inside. That wasn't much of a response.

"I don't do drugs." I said, tossing him the bag. Just because I hung out with the crowd doesn't mean I go all in. A quick PSA. Don't do drugs children!

"It'll heal your head. You'll feel better. Maybe even well enough to handle the truth." Dylan coaxed me, handing it back.

"You know what that was? You can explain it?" I asked. Dylan knew how to taunt me. He was offering me the one thing I needed more than anything. Answers.

"First things first." Dylan nodded to the pouch in my hand. I got desperate fast. I tilted my head back and dumped half the bag's contents into my mouth. Remember that public service announcement? Well, do as I say, not as I do.

Immediately, I began to feel better. My vision got sharper, the pain in my head and shoulders dissipating. Small cuts along my arms mended themselves. I recoiled, and tried to speak, but my mouth just hung open like a gaping fish.

"Oh. Good. You didn't spontaneously combust. I HATE it when that happens." Dylan observed. I stared blankly at him, hoping for a indication he had been kidding, but his voice didn't waver and his expression was passive.

"Tell me what you know." I insisted, shoving the half empty pouch back to him.

"Are you sure you're ready?" Dylan asked. I scowled at him and he held up his hands. "Okay. Leila, I know you never knew your dad. I also know why that is."

"Your kidding. Is this some mental hospital or counselor visit?" I laughed, but Dylan had struck a nerve.

"Leila, your dad wasn't mortal. He wasn't a...a person. He's a god." Dylan said. My laughter got caught in my throat, almost choking me.

"You honestly expect me to believe that?" I howled. I was somewhere in between rage and depression.

"No. I don't. I didn't either." Dylan said honestly, looking at me like I was an experiment of some kind. "Leila, you can believe me, because my dad is a god too."

I looked up at him, my dirty hair hanging in front of my face. It was weighed down by dirt and the same black gunk that Dylan had.

"My dad is Mars. The god of war." Dylan said. "And you just fought what we call a Hydra."

That rang a bell. "Oh! Those guys from Captain America, right?" I asked. Dylan sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"No, like the Greek monster." He said. "Leila, the myths, Greek and Roman, every tale that you heard but dismissed as ancient history and the result of the lack of knowledge back them...all of those myths are true." He said. "You just killed one of the most dangerous and well known monsters. The monster was from a Greek myth. But the myth wasn't fake. The gods are real too, and sometimes they come down and have kids with mortals. Those kids inherit things from them. Powers, personality traits, looks...and the smell that attracts monsters." Dylan clasped his hands together.

"Hey, I may be a punk and lost cause, but I have good hygiene! I don't stink!" I protested. Dylan just rolled his eyes and stretched his arms above his head. The sleeves on his jacket inched down his wrists slightly. My eyes widened when I saw what looked like burn marks covering five inches of his wrist. Dylan caught me looking and raised an eyebrow before pulling the sleeve up. I counted 12 vertical lines, a very precisely drawn spear and shield, and the letters SPQR. When I met Dylan's eyes he pulled his sleeve back down and smirked.

"Do you believe me now?"


	5. over the river and through the woods

Chapter four

Over the river and through the woods, to godly summer camp we go.

My cap for monster attacks per day is one. In fact, this principle is my core belief. And do not ask me to violate my core beliefs.

That's why I'm channelling my inner commando, dashing through an airport, hiding behind poles and staying out of security's sight. Dylan is doing the same, staying out of the line of fire. Before we left what turned out to be a hotel room in a small inn, he had explained to me that anyone could be a monster. Anyone could turn into an ancient bad guy who had it out for me, including my english teacher. Personally, I thought they had an unfair advantage.

Dylan had managed to buy (or hijack) last minute tickets to California. Apparently, there was a camp or something for kids like us. For kids like me.

It still hadn't fully sunk in yet, that the reason my dad was never around, the reason my mom had been left to care for a certified punk on her own, was that my dad was a god. Something I read about in history textbooks and had planets named after him. I, Leila Inigo, the girl in the punk clothes and dyed hair, the girl who graffitied an old lady's home, was the offspring of a divine being. Yeah, right.

But something about the day, may it be my dream, the hydra attack, or causing an earthquake made me inclined to believe it. And of course, there was the way Dylan had told me. He knew what it was like, and I knew Dylan didn't lie.

With Dylan in the lead, we slipped past the boarding attendant and entered the plane just before the doors closed. I slipped into a seat by a window, right over the wing. Dylan sat next to me, taking middle seat. A middle aged man with salt and pepper hair sat next to Dylan, holding a briefcase and adjusting his glasses. Did he seem like a threat? No. Does that mean he isn't one? No.

For some reason, I felt myself getting more and more anxious, stress rising as we started to taxi down the runway. My hands sunk into the armrests on either side of me, shoving Dylan's arm off of his. My leg was bouncing up and down uncontrollably, shaking my seat. The plane roared as it began to ascend into the sky and I gasped, squeezing my eyes shut. I felt a hand sharply squeeze my knee, forcing it to stop bouncing. I open my eyes and tediously look over, almost shaking in panic. Dylan is glaring at me, an annoyed look spreading across his face. "Dude, chill." He hissed. "Play it cool." I'm pretty sure that's code for 'don't blow our cover'. I closed my eyes again and hit my head against the back of my seat. Sweat was beading across my forehead, even though the cabin was air conditioned. I felt Dylan lean over to whisper in my ear. "Just try and sleep. It'll be over before you know it." Easy for him to say.

Somehow, I pulled it off. Not that sleep was any better. I just moved from one nightmare to the next. Of course I did. This is my life, after all.

It was that freaky dirt lady again. She hadn't changed much, except I could see more of her face. Her eyes where the color of my mom's miracle grow soil, dark brown and earthen. "You will not make it to your camp. I will not allow it. You will watch your friend die in front of you, and you will be powerless!" She yelled. I grabbed a tree, in case the ground turned to mush again. "The air is not your domain, child." She finished, laughing. My dream shifted, changing scenes like someone had clicked the next button on a powerpoint.

A man was standing in front of me with a Santa Claus style white beard. He wore white dress…no, not a dress...a toga. A bolt of electric lightning was in his hand. "No!" He shouts, his voice echoing around the room. He doesn't seem to notice my presence."I will not allow it! A child of the sea god in my domain?" His voice rumbled like thunder, literally shaking the room. "This must end." He thrust out his hand and the sky seemed to bow to his command.

Someone clicked the magical powerpoint of my dream again, and I was back with Mother Nature, evil stepmother version."A glance at your fate, I am fair enough to offer you that." She said, holding out her palm, barely visible beneath her dark sleeves. The air around it swirled, coming together to form a picture.

It was a plane. Our plane. It was headed straight toward a raging thunderstorm. Through a window, I saw Dylan lean over me to see what was happening. His eyes widened as he spotted the supercell approaching us. The picture zoomed in to Dylan and I. He was shaking my arm, his eyebrows drawn together in concern. A sudden jolt of turbulence shook the plane so violently that Dylan was thrown away from me. Cups and food on tray tables slid away and crashed to the floor. The clouds around us turned the entire sky black and grey. The Leila on the plane was completely oblivious to all of it, stuck in a coma like sleep. Dylan was shaking me and yelling something, but he got no response. The naughty boy had unbuckled his seatbelt and was standing up, despite her seatbelt symbol. The turbulence got even worse, throwing Dylan to the floor.

I had to wake up. I needed to. I had to stop this before someone got hurt. I pinched myself, and although I felt the pain, I was still stuck in my disastrous hallucination. "See, I'm keeping you here dearie. I want you to watch and feel the panic." The earth lady said to me, grinning under her shadowy facade. I watched, entranced, at the ball of light. A bolt of lightning appeared from nowhere, striking the plane, right on the engine. The plane rattled violently, then there was an eerie stillness, as if the plane was hovering with no support. That's when I felt the steep decline, pitching downward suddenly. The vision shattered and I woke up screaming.


	6. we're not in Chicago anymore, Toto

Chapter five

I don't think we're in Chicago anymore, Toto

Our plane is spinning wildly out of control. Dylan is flattened to the floor, unable to stand without falling again. I smelled smoke from something in the plane, probably the engine. Shouts and screams were echoing across the entire cabin. The intercom turns on, keeping us in touch with the captain.

"All passengers, we have suffered severe damage. Please remain calm and brace yourselves for an emergency landing." Remain calm? I wouldn't buy that, even if the pilot didn't sound like he was about to pull the eject lever. The businessman sitting in our row is sobbing. I dig my fingernails into the armrests, leaving imprints. I catch a glimpse of the scene outside through the window and wished I could scrub that memory away with bleach. White clouds were dispersing and twirling around us like cotton candy in a broken machine, turning into darker storm clouds. Mountains are whizzing past. I fix my eyes back on the seat in front of me, squeezing my eyes shut. My heart was beating, a drum that I'm sure could be heard across the entire plane.

I heard the landing gear emerge, as if this was going to be a normal landing. Rain was plastering itself to the plane, making any possible landing ground slick and wet. A field was approaching us rapidly, I could see it's emptiness far better than I wanted to. I plastered myself to my seat.

We hit the ground hard, the wheels bouncing back into the air. We were obviously going too fast for a safe landing. We hit the ground again, going faster than a Nascar driver. I fell out of my seat, well, most of me did. My waist was caught by my seatbelt, giving me a serious rug burn, even though my shirt. I watched, transfixed, at the landscape that we were headed irreversibly toward.

Because this is my life, can you guess what I saw? A boulder. Right under the wheel. Excuse me while I kiss my life goodbye. We hit the boulder hard, one wheel riding up over it, the other staying on flat land. The plane tilted dangerously, angling itself. Terror rose into my throat as I watched the wing on my side of the plane climb higher and higher as the other wing sank lower. It all happened in a millisecond but it felt like minutes. The wing opposite of me hit the ground, snapping off and crumbling to tiny bits of metal. Gravity seemed to cancel itself and the plane went into a roll. My mouth was too dry to doors opened, briefcases and luggage spilling out and flying around the cabin. I ducked just in time to avoid being hit in the head by a backpack. A section of the cabin was torn open, metal rubbing on metal. Across from us, a mother was huddled over her infant son, shielding him as best she could. Flying shrapnel cut into my arms. Something large hit me in the head, my vision blurred by the blood.

Slowly, the rolling ended. Everything was out of focus. I felt detached from my body, like I was watching through someone else's eyes. The only thing I could hear was my own heavy breathing and the beating of my heart. My hands were shaky when I unbuckled my seat belt. Flight attendants were leading people to emergency exits and calling ambulances. Someone pushed me forward and I stumbled at the movement. Whichever way I turned my head, I saw the remnants of broken lives and ruined plans. A shredded wedding dress was only partially inside it's shattered suitcase. A baby's bottle had fallen to the floor, leaking milk.

This was because of me. I don't know why, but whoever destroyed the plane had wanted to kill me. I'm lead to the inflatable slide exit, and I hit the ground hard. The sunlight is blinding, but I can't look away. This trance is truly unbreakable. I stumble over bits of debris without a direction. The destructions spans vastly in all directions. My hearing is still fuzzy, but I can hear someone calling my name. Dylan grabs my arm, pulling me away from the wreckage. "We're close. Just across the field and we'll hit a highway. That marks the entrance." He tells me.

"Entrance?" My mind is hazy. I can't think straight.

"Leila, you need to get to camp. Now." Dylan continues pulling me toward the highway. I found myself pushing him away, my hands around his biker's jacket.

"No!" I screamed at him. "We can't just leave them!" I shoved him hard, turning to run, but Dylan grabbed my arm, holding me back.

"Yes we can. And that's exactly what we're going to do. Because what happened up there," Dylan jabs his free hand up at the sky. "Can happen again down here. Staying will only hurt more people." He says. I looked up at the clouds overhead, starting to blot out the sun. It was as if they were following me. A clap of thunder shook the ground. A flight attendant, a brunette with her hair back in a tight bun turned to look at us. Her eyes were glowing green.

"That's our cue." Dylan said. I didn't question him, I just ran. I heard an ungodly roar behind us and someone screamed. Leaves from the plants cut my legs and arms as we dashed across the field. Adrenaline was keeping me on my feet, but my lungs were about to burst.

My hopes raised when I heard the sound of cars close by. "Almost there!" Dylan told me. I could see the overpass and door Dylan had told me about. I hit the cement wall hard. gasping for breath. A girl was standing guard, looking at Dylan and I with disapproval, but not surprise. She had the same clothes on as Dylan, but her hair was blond and in a pixie cut. She looked like the singer Pink. "Mika, let us in!" Dylan yelled at her. She glared at him, but when she caught sight of whatever was chasing us, her eyes widened.

"Go." She said, raising a spear and shield. Dylan threw the door open and shoved me forward. For a minute I just stared at the cement wall behind me.

"Hey, the real view is this way." Dylan nudged me. I turned around and my eyes grew wide. Before me was an entire city, bordering a small forest. White marble statues, columns and buildings gleamed just below me. People of all ages were milling around, most of the teenagers wearing purple shirts, though some were in orange. In the distance, there was an unmistakable gleam of an ocean. The air smelled fresh, slightly of salt, but also of sunshine and beauty and...oh gods. Someone slap me. "Leila!" Dylan snapped his fingers in front of my face. I swatted his hand out of my face. Call me jumpy or paranoid, but after today, nothing was getting that close to me. "You have to meet with Reyna and Frank."

"Meet with who?" I narrowed my eyes.

"The...ah, the camp leadership." I noticed Dylan wouldn't meet my eyes when he said it, and his fists curled into balls.

"Do you like them? And by some miracle, do they like you?" I pressed.

"I like them fine. It's their power I despise." Dylan glowered. "Your questions are going to make us late, and that won't reflect well. It's not to late to kick you out." He threatened. without looking back to see if I was following, he turned and sprinted down the hill. I looked around, second guessing my decision to trust Dylan. With a hesitant bite of my lip, I jogged down to join him.


	7. Family freaking reunion

Chapter six

Family freaking reunion

The road we seemed to be following was made of cobblestone, and could have only been a foot road. We passed several buildings grouped together that arced into the air, porcelain and polished. Dylan had explained that they were temples, worship places to various gods and goddesses. 'Temple hill', Dylan had called it. More like temple mountain.

Kids were everywhere, walking the roads, standing in grassy areas playing ultimate frisbee with a rather weapon-like frisbee. I even caught a boy and girl sword fighting in full armor in an arena. As we passed, the girl waved for the boy to stop and pulled the visor on her helmet up. "Dylan? You're back!" Her voice had a chirpy tone that made me want to punch her voice box. I was talking to a girl, not tweety bird,

"Really? I hadn't noticed." Dylan muttered. "It's great to be back." He finished loud enough for the girl to hear. By then, people had started to notice us. Someone pointed and shouted something. A flock of kids ran to us, a good number in purple shirts, and a handful dressed like Dylan. A kid with a pile of badges across his shirt and a silver goblet approached first.

"D-dog!" He shouted, throwing his arm around Dylan. "You didn't die." Someone of the liquid in his cup splashed out onto the street. I saw it was red, like wine. Great. I had left a school full of punks, druggies and alcoholics and joined a city of them. Dylan laughed, a fake smile playing across his face. It disappeared to a severe look just as quickly.

"Don't call me that." He stepped out from under the other boy's arm.

"Come now, we're all friends! No need for snappiness." The boy roared, slapping Dylan on the back.

"Go home, Dakota, you're drunk." Dylan rolled his eyes.

"Not at all. Only Koolaid my friend. Only Koolaid." Dakota assured us, tilting his cup so we could see. Sure enough, the liquid was too clear to be wine. So he wasn't an alcoholic. Just a Koolaid addict. I feel reassured. "So, where have you been? I thought you were only going to be gone a few weeks." Dakota was either completely oblivious, or choose to ignore Dylan's tone. That wasn't very wise.

"Staying away from you." Dylan said. Dakota only laughed, like he thought Dylan meant it as a joke

"Ahem." Behind us, someone cleared their throat. Two people, a boy and girl, large crown badges pinned to their shirts, stepped forward. The crowd parted, and even Dakota backed away. "Centurion Rise!" The girl called out. Dylan took a mocking bow.

"At your service."

"You were late for your scheduled meet. Is this the girl you talked about?" The girl asked. She had tan skin and black hair and eyes.

"Yes." Dylan raised his head. "This is Leila. Leila, this is-"

"Reyna and Frank." I finished. "I'm not dumb."

"Good. From Centurion Rise's description, I wouldn't expect any less. He speaks highly of you." Frank smiled at me. He had a faintly Asian look to him, but spoke with a Canadian accent. He seemed nicer, if not less strict than Reyna. "I trust my brother's instincts."

"We're not brothers." Dylan insisted.

Frank shrugged. "Of course. But we are related."

"Cut the small chat." Reyna said. "We need to figure out what to do with you." She said, turning to me. "Who are you?"

"I'm a nobody, from No-name U.S.A." I felt like being difficult. I didn't appreciate the way she was talking about me.

"You are somebody. And I want to know who that somebody's parent is." Reyna snarled.

"What the heck makes you think I know? We don't all get star wars moments were our dad shows himself. Some just run off without another word." I shout. Reyna stepped back.

"She should have been claimed by now, but she hasn't." Dylan jumped in.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious."

"Your welcome, sergeant Sarcasm,"

"Rachel." Frank jumped forward to diffuse the tension. "Maybe she can help." The name meant squat to me, but both Dylan and Reyna were nodding. "Leila, come with us. The rest of you, carry on. We'll have an update at dinner." Frank called out.

"And remember, war games tonight!" Reyna added. The dispersing crowd cheered and shouted.

Frank and Reyna led me back the way we came. I wasn't one for pointless talk, but the silence cut me to the bone. I hung back by Dylan, matching his stride for mine. "Who are you, really?" I asked suddenly. It had taken a while for me to realize anything I knew about Dylan could be-and probably was-a lie.

"You know who I am." He said, shaking his head.

"I know who you said you were. It was all a lie though," Dylan quickened his pace as if to get away from me.

"Not lies. Just not the whole truth. My mom was a native Iranian and a freedom fighter. It attracted the attention of my dad, Mars. Women like her were rare to come by. When I was four, my mom went to investigate a suicide bomber threat. It hadn't been just a threat." Dylan stopped talking momentarily, letting that hang in the air between us. "So I was shipped off here. I was raised knowing I was a demigod, my mom had known who Mars was. Been in the legion twelve years. Technically speaking, I'm not even required to serve anymore time in it. But us war children, we aren't suited for much else. A few months ago, Reyna sent me on a recon mission. A suspected demigod, in too unique of a position for Lupa to reach her." He didn't have to spell it out for me. Like I said, I'm not dumb. "I fought in more wars and battles then I care to remember. Fought Kronos, Krios, Gaia, and every monster in the book. Read about any major war in the past ten years, I've been there." It seemed like such a sad thing to live for. Killing things was the only thing Dylan had to offer.

"You always knew who your dad was?" I couldn't hide my jealousy. Dylan had grown up knowing who he was, why his dad had left. I didn't.

"Not always. My mom suspected my dad was Mars, but she told me no guarantees. You only know for sure once your claimed. Traditionally, that happens on your sixteenth birthday, but nowadays, some...mixed cultures have started to change that. At any rate, I was claimed early. A few weeks after I joined the legion. And from the looks of it, you'll be claimed late." Of course my godly parent had to be the one with no sense of time. With my luck, he's the god of amnesia, and forgot I even existed. Frank glanced back at us, and gave me a reassuring smile. I tried to return it. It seemed odd Dylan could hate Frank as much as he did. I don't hate them, I hate their power. Dylan had said that...or something like that.

"What do you have against them?" I asked. Dylan looked away, as if he was embarrassed to be caught smack talking his authority.

"The elections. I was running to be elected praetor. But Reyna and Jason were elected instead. That part was fine. They deserved it, though Jason's been hit on the head so many times, I question his sanity. Anyway, Jason went missing, but Reyna held off elections. Then they elected Frank, who technically didn't even get elected. His power was passed onto him. He hasn't even been in the legion a year, and he gets to be in charge. Being praetor is all I ever wanted, and I've been cheated out of it again and again. Demigods die young. Leila, someone as involved as me makes it to eighteen on average. I'm running out of time to make my dreams come true, and it's months 'till the next election. I don't want to die knowing all I was was a foot soldier." He hit the nearest thing, a temple, which I figured was at least ten years bad luck. "Frank is a good praetor, but he...he doesn't...deserve it." Dylan choked out. I understood now. Dylan had been in the legion twelve years, but Frank, who was only a newbie, got the power.

That sucked.

Reyna turned around, stopping at the temple Dylan had hit. "We're here. I need to go and talk to Mika and get the report from this morning. You can handle this, right?" She asked Frank. He nodded and turned to lead me inside.

"I can take her," Dylan said. "I heard Percy arrived this morning. I'm sure you want to catch up." He put a hand on my arm. Frank frowned. "Aww come on. You can trust me. We're brothers."

Frank relaxed a little. "Sure. Fine. But tell me everything." Dylan smiled. He led me inside. If this place was so sacred, why did I feel like a sheep being led to the slaughter?

The temple was massive and the ceiling was painted to look like the sky. Words were etched into the marble floors. In the center of the room, a red headed girl was waiting for us. I assumed she was Rachel. She had a contagious smile. "The new recruit." She said. She took my hand. "You don't mind, do you? This is the only way to get information on you and I-" Rachel's smile faded. "Oh dear. Your going to cause a war."

I said something that most certainly was not sacred.


	8. When sea demons attack

Chapter seven

When Sea demons attack

(AN: per request, I have attempted to make longerish chapters. They're still short, but they're longer than before. Slight disclaimer: political incorrectness ahead. Beware, all ye sensatives.)

Remember how I said I wished I lived in California? Now I was here, and it was anything but what I imagined. Most Californians aren't told they'll start a war. Win some, loose some.

"What do you mean?" I looked at Dylan. The expression on his face confirmed it. He knew.

"A prophecy from the books," Rachel waved to the words etched in stone. "It tells of a child with power so great, it will cause monsters unfathomed to re-awaken."

"Namely, the giants, or one of them. A year ago, there was a large battle fought against them. Most died and won't re-awake for a very long time. But your presence has caused ripples all the way in Tartarus." Dylan finished.

"Me?" I squeaked. I sounded like a mouse caught in a mouse trap.

"Tell her the prophecy." Dylan told Rachel. She pointed to a line of words on the floor. My dyslexia made the letters swirl together.

"Child of power, make the ground shake.

And to the giant's slumber wake.

To see a friend trapped in his jaws.

War, destruction and chaos cause." All I needed now, another confidence boost.

"But that doesn't mean me necessarily, does it?" I pleaded, looking at Rachel.

"Leila, a few days ago you caused a magnitude four earthquake in the middle of Chicago. It goes directly for the first line," Dylan said, gently but impatiently.

"Then I have to go. Send me away, before I hurt anybody." I begged him. I may graffiti innocent houses, but I wasn't a cold blooded killer.

"See, it doesn't work that way. Here or elsewhere you will cause the war. You're safer here where we can train you than out in the open." Dylan glared at me. Rachel nodded. I closed my eyes, hanging my head.

"Tell Frank I approve of her. But don't forget to warn him." Rachel said firmly. Why did I get the feeling forget meant deliberately avoid bringing it up?

"But of course!" Dylan said. Rachel narrowed her eyes. He gave her his best smile, and ushered me out of the temple.

"So...you knew, didn't you?" I filled the awkward silence as Dylan lead me toward the room he claimed we could find Frank and Reyna. I'm not even going to try to pronounce it.

"Suspected." He corrected me. "Though the earthquake was really the only conformation I needed." Let's just stamp the word freak on my head with big red letters, shall we?

"Reyna called you something. A churro?" I probed.

"Centurion." Dylan touched a bade on his shirt sub-consiously. So open to conversation these days.

"What does it mean?"

"I co-lead part of the legion. The first cohort." Dylan had explained a limited amount about the cohorts. There were five of them, and each one had a different level of skill.

"Sounds snappy."

"We only take the best. Good fighters, those with connections. We're like the Navy Seals of the legion." Dang, brother.

"Well you seem to be pretty high up. Screw being praetor, you've got it made," I said. Dylan shot me a glare. We lapsed back into silence.

Suddenly a gong rang on the top of the hill. Dylan's head shot up. Without a word he ran back toward the camp entrance. I back pedaled, an attempt to keep in line with him. "What is it?" I shouted. We weren't the only who ran. Almost every person within earshot had clambered up the hill.

"Trouble at the entrance." He called back. We crested the hill and I saw what he meant. The girl who had been standing guard was inside the camp now, shouting and pointing.

An army of the weirdest looking monsters marched forward, majority dressed in flight attendant suits. Except they were now all vaguely male. "Telekhines." Dylan said. I shot him a glance. "Sea demons," he pulled out his sword and a knife. "Stay here." He gave me the knife. "Only if necessary." He emphasized. I gulped.

All around me, campers had rushed to battle. Dylan took on two sea demons, an empty flight attendant hat at his feet. A few yards away, a dark haired girl I had seen playing the violin earlier now had it strapped to her thigh. The violin bow was in her hand. She twisted the tightener, and the violin bow expanded into a full fledged bow, as in the weapon. She pulled an arrow from a quiver strapped to her side. I'd always thought archery was silly, but when I watched the girl shoot down enemies like that, I kinda wished I had taken a class.

Five demons spotted us and broke away from the crowd. Two went down from the girl's bow. But they kept coming. One charged straight for me, and on instinct I kicked it in the gut. It hissed but no real damage seemed to occur. It raised a sword up above its head and I dove out of the way. The blade sunk into the ground just short of removing my shoe. I felt the grass imprint itself onto my face. I rolled onto my knees in time to see a sword race toward my body. I raised the knife and caught the blade inches from my face, though the momentum continued to force me downward, arching my back until my head nearly touched the ground.

I shoved back upward with all my strength and the sea demon stumbled backward. My arm curled back and before I could register what I was doing, I had thrown the knife straight into the demon's chest. A shocked expression flooded its face. Like the Hydra, it turned into golden dust, blowing away in the wind. I watched the remaining dust curl into the sky, some sprinkling down on me. I glanced at my feet. It had left behind a sword and my knife.

I kinda felt bad about killing it. Like I said, I'm not a killer. Then I remined myself it would be back up and tormenting demigods in no time at all. That made me feel a little bit better.

I shoved my sword into my belt, like Dylan did. I didn't want to think to hard about what would happened if I tripped and landed on my side. A Leila-kabob. A scream pierced through my thoughts. The archer had been team tagged by the remaining two demons. She was pinned down, arrows scattered around her, her bow kicked across the field. Her violin lay under the demons foot. One demon had a sword against her throat.

I felt the same tugging sensation I had in the fight with the hydra. I thrust out my hand and screamed. Red clouded my vision and the ground shook. A crevice appeared beneath the sea demons. The archer rolled to the side as lava rolled up through the crack, an consumed the demons. The violin went up in flames. I closed my fist and the lava receded. The shaking stopped. The girl stared at me from the other side of the crack. Slowly, she raised her hand and gave me a military salute. I grinned and returned it.

The battle was winding down. Only one monster remained, obviously the leader. He fought sword on sword with Dylan. I knew Dylan was good, but saying he was good was like saying Mt. Everest was a hill. Watching him fight was incredible, and from the look on his face I could tell he was only toying with the monster. With a final shout he shoved the sword in to the demon's chest. It crumbled to dust.

Dylan thrust his sword upward, his face streaked with monster blood and dust. "NIKE!" He yelled. I don't know why we were calling out a shoe brand, but the other campers echoed his call. I considered shouting Adidas, just to mess with everyone. I decided that would probably go over as well as airplanes over the Indian ocean. Or like airplanes flying over a Californian feild. Needless to say, I won't be flying again anytime soon.

Reyna stepped into view and raised her hand to silence everyone. "War games are canceled. Senators and Leila, meet in the senate house for an emergency meeting in five minutes." A collective groan fell across the crowd. Dylan nodded to me and we joined the crowd back in the direction we came.

"Hey! You! Wait!" Someone shouted behind me. The archer was running toward me, her remaining arrows back in her quiver and her bow back in instrumental form.

"Sorry about your violin." I muttered, I slowed my pace but didn't stop.

"Don't be. I have five others in my barrack." She said. "But how did you do that?"

I bit my lip, hoping my shrug would suffice. "I don't know."

"Your dad's Neptune. He's gotta be." She said finally. I looked back at the crevice I had created and felt a sinking feeling in my gut. There was no denying the prophecy now. As we approached the senate house she cringed. "I'm not a senator. I can't go in. See you at dinner. My name's Cassie." She stumbled back into camp, probably going for her next violin.

A statue burst into existence in front of Dylan and I. I screamed, but Dylan seemed unfazed. Of course, Dylan would be unfazed if Andromeda collided with the Milky Way tomorrow, so that didn't mean much. "Weapons!" He shouted. A little girl appeared behind him, holding a bowl like the type used for metal detectors.

"Hey, Terminus." Dylan grunted to the statue, giving his sword to the little girl. By now, I had had enough surprises to find this to be perfectly fine. I followed suit and dropped my newly acquired knife and sword in the bowl. If I never got them back, I would be ticked. "Terminus, the god of borders. No weapons past the line." Dylan whispered to me as we passed. I saw the line he meant, a ring of statues across the whole city.

"I better get those back." I grumbled.

"You will. Terminus just wants to make sure we don't have a...well, Julias Caesar part two." Dylan snickered. I gulped, vaguely remembering what happened from my history classes at Intercity, though I might have been asleep half the time.

"Would people here really do that?" Now I really wished Rachel would have kicked me out.

"Some people would, but most people are okay. Last year we had this augur named Octavian. He took over the legion behind Reyna's back and attacked the Greeks. He ended up getting caught in a catapult and learned real fast people can't fly without planes." Dylan snickered. I think my expression was only mildly horrified. "He really went out with a bang," I rolled my eyes, recovering enough from the shock to nod. We stopped walking and I looked up.

A building was in front of us, classic roman architecture, but slightly darker in color. The place was massive. Dylan pulled the door open, holding it for me. "Your fate awaits." He said as I looked at him.

Like my heart stopped racing after that.


	9. ZombiShrimp

Chapter eight

Zombie shrimp

The senate house was packed. Reyna insisted that I stand on the floor, in front of the praetor's table. Rows of faces starred down at me from the elevated seats. I felt like I was on trial. Reyna and Frank directed the meeting, having me answer questions that I felt I always gave the wrong answer to.

Halfway through the meeting, a boy and girl burst through the door. They were both wearing orange tee shirts under their togas. The girl had curly blond hair and grey eyes, the color of storm clouds. They radiated intelligence.

The boy was strikingly familiar. He had tousled black hair and eyes the color of the sea. He was about a year older than me, or at least looked like it. I knew I had never met him, but he stirred my memory. "Sorry we're late. Terminus gave us trouble." The boy shrugged. Frank gave him a friendly smile, and the boy nodded to him. They took seats in the front row, and sat together.

"Tell us the part where the Hydra attacks." Reyna asked. I closed my eyes.

"This girl, Jessica, she was a jerk, and I told her off. Then my teacher dragged me outside and transformed." I said. I was conscious of all the eyes that hung on my every word. No pressure or anything. Dylan had tried to assure me they wouldn't kick me out of the legion, but I found it hard to believe. The two newcomers whispered urgently.

"What was Jessica doing?" Reyna asked. Her hands were folded in front of her, obscuring part of her face. Two metal dogs paced at her feet.

I cleared my throat before answering, "Flirting?" I made it sound like a question as confidence leeched out of me.

"With you?" Frank raised an eyebrow. My cheeks burned.

"No. With Dylan." I denied it as quickly as I could. Cat calls echoed across the hall and Dylan sunk into his seat, glaring at me. It was nice to know he could be embarrassed. I was beginning to worry he had no emotions. Reyna's dogs barked, a symbol to reinstate order.

"How did you defeat the Hydra?" Frank continued. I had decided to focus on Frank, since he was friendlier and softer than Reyna.

"I caused an earthquake." I said. "Like I did at the gate." Reyna nodded. No one denied the lava scarred earth was my fault. Frank and Reyna whispered viciously, obviously arguing over my acceptance.

"As praetor, my comrade and I wish to suspend judgement on Leila's acceptance into the legion until she has been claimed. All in favor, please say so." Reyna motioned to the floor. The senators called out various words of agreement. It appeared I passed my trial. "Leila, as soon as your parent has sent a sign, you may join the legion." Reyna smiled at me.

"Senatus populesque Romanus!" Frank shouted. The senators echoed his call and stood to leave. Dylan joined me on the senate floor.

"Come on. They're serving dinner." He said quietly. He seemed distant all of the sudden.

"What happens next?" I asked him, as I stared at the empty senate house.

"When you get excepted and claimed, I'll write a letter of recommendation for you, get you into my cohort. The rest will be up to you." He told me, leading me outside. Despite the distance, I smelled the food from the dinning hall.

When we arrived, I'm almost beaned in the head by a slice of cheesecake. Food trays are whizzing around like wizards playing quiditch. With the exception of the seemingly well ordered food fight, the entire scene looked like a Roman mural come to life.

I don't know why that surprised me.

Dylan lead me to an open couch, sitting besides the girl who had guarded the entrance - Mika - and Cassie. True to her word, Cassie had a new violin strapped to her leg. It looked royally uncomfortable, but Cassie didn't seem to mind. "This is Mika." Dylan said to me. "She's the other centurion on the first cohort."

"And your half sister." Mika added, looking up from her dish of food I didn't recognize. Mika caught me looking. "It's Soba, Japanese. Want some?" She lifted her plate toward me.

I shook my head. "So what's with the violin?" I asked Cassie. She grinned broadly at me.

"I'm a legacy of Apollo and Mercury. Both are musically inclined. Mercury made the first lyre." She held up the violin for me to see.

"And the bow is magical." I finished for her.

"Gift from Apollo." She nodded. Dylan had explained the idea of legacies to me before. A demigod has a kid, with a mortal or with another demigod, and they inherit some powers.

"So it's like you have two godly parents." I'm jealous of the fact she knew who both her godly ancestors were.

"Right. Timmy has two dads, and all that. Though Timmy's dads likely couldn't blast his enemies to dust." She laughed.

"So, what about Mercury? Did you inherit anything from him? He's the god of thieves, yeah?" I was surprised about how quickly I was catching on to all this. I wondered if this would count as extra credit in mythology class next year.

"I guess you could say..." Cassie smiled mischievously, "I know how to steal the show." Dylan snickered.

"Punny," I stated, chuckling to myself. Mika shook her head. A plate of lobster and shrimp, my favorite food, settled in front of me, a water glass on the side. Conversation across the table halted as everyone dug into their food.

I hadn't realized how hungry I really was. I picked up my fork and stabbed at a shrimp. It moved away and scrambled across the plate. I frowned. Not possible. The wind. It was the wind. I tried again, and again the shrimp...moved. "Did you bump the table?" I asked Dylan. He shook his head.

I demonstrated the moving shrimp trick for him. When he saw it move, he knocked the fork out of my hand. "Stop!" He shouted. "It's a sign." My heart jumped. Was I about to be claimed?

I noticed Frank stand from his spot with some senators. He leaned forward to watch, and I leaned back, as far as I could from my magically death defying shrimp. It jumped around in my plate like a...well like a fish out of water. It squirmed around before jumping into my glass of water. It settled to the bottom. I'm not sure if a shrimp can feel happiness, but if they can, this one did.

Don't stop here. It's about to get weirder.

The water in my glass began to glow, the blue aura washing waves of light across Dylan's face. Cassie moved away, as if she thought the water was going nuclear. We attracted attention from all around the dinning hall, and rightfully so. What could we say? Don't mind us, just playing with zombie shrimp? Yeah, like that'll help.

In a final burst of color, the glass went dark and the shrimp vanished. Cassie relaxed. I blinked dots from my eyes and tried to see straight. "It is a sign from Neptune." Frank agreed. "Your parent has claimed you." I thought it was a sign to stop eating seafood.

"My dad is Neptune?" I scrunched my eyebrows together and looked back and forth between the campers.

"Makes sense," Mika shrugged. "He is the god of earthquakes." She said it so casually, like, your dad is one of the most powerful forces in the universe, what else is new? Although if I counted the bars on her arm correctly, she had been here long enough to see it.

"Call an assembly at the field of Mars." Reyna hissed, behind Frank. Frank did so. Cassie nervously twisted her bow into weapon form. Even though the camp knew why an assembly was in order, they seemed growingly uneasy.

The legion broke into the five cohorts. Dylan and Mika stood side by side in front of the first cohort. Cassie stood farther back, with the third cohort. Frank placed a hand on my shoulder, sensing my confusion. "Just stay by us until a cohort adds you. The first will probably snap you up. Dylan didn't lead you this far to let you fall on your face."

Rachel joined us and stood with Reyna. "Present the colors!" Reyna called out. I expected to see an American flag, maybe one of the state of California, but instead a golden eagle was implanted at the front of the legion.

"We are here to welcome a new recruit. Leila Inigo, please step forward." Rachel nodded to me, and I took a step forward, kinda unnecessary considering I was standing in front of them and clearly didn't belong. "The prophecies have proven Leila's entrance to be in the best interest of the legion." Rachel continued. "Does she have any letters of recommendation?"

A rustle of paper echoed in the silent field, and several envelopes were passed forward. Rachel glanced at the names on a few then handed them over to Reyna. She took her sweet time opening the letters and reading over them. "Centurions Rise and Lagdon," she shouted. Dylan and Mika stepped forward slightly. "As both of you have prepared highly regarded letters of recommendation, I take assume the First would like to take in Leila?"

"Correct." Mika said, her answers formal and short. Frank smiled at me.

"See? What did I say? Now all you need is a sponsor." He whispered to me. "Are there any sponsors?" He called out. It was silent.

"What's a sponsor?" I asked Rachel.

"They vouch for you, and make sure you don't mess up. They teach you how we do things, and if you screw up, you both get killed," Rachel whispered back. I looked at Dylan, but he had taken a sudden interest in his shoes. I felt my heart sink.

"Are there any sponsors?" Frank asked again.

"Don't worry. Traditionally, children of Neptune have been considered bad luck. That's changed, but habits are habits." Rachel sounded worried.

"Are there any sponsors? I'd like to remind you all if Leila cannot receive a sponsor, her entrance into the legion will be denied." Frank said sternly as he looked across the crowd. I closed my eyes.

"I'm a full member of the legion. I will stand for Leila Inigo." Someone shouted.


	10. Water doesn't appreciate meditation

Chapter nine

Water doesn't appreciate meditation.

I immediately looked for Dylan, but both he and Mika had joined in the search for the voice. Cassie's eyebrows were knit in confusion.

A buzz grew across the crowd. The legion broke ranks and looked frantically for the person who broke tradition. "Please, identify yourself!" Reyna called out.

A speck of orange stepped out of the fifth cohort's line. I tried not to cringe. Of course I was grateful that the person saved my butt and all, but the fifth cohort had a reputation, from what I had heard. The boy moved through the lines, and I noticed Frank smile at the sight of him. "Perseus Jackson. I should have known."

Perseus. I snickered to myself. Who names their kid Perseus? Rachel elbowed me hard, and I stopped laughing. "So, your name is...Perseus." I tried to keep a straight face, but it wasn't easy.

"Technically, yes. But I prefer Percy, for obvious reasons." He smiled at me, and I realized he was the boy who had snuck into the senate meeting. Clever boy.

"Leila Inigo." I stuck out my hand. Let's at least try to get off on the right foot. He shook it and I returned his rather infectious grin.

"So, you're new here? Fresh out of the mortal world?" Percy sized me up, but more in a friendly manner than a threatening one.

"I guess so." I shrugged. I was becoming aware of the fact that every legionnaire was hanging on our conversation. What are we, a real life soap opera? Percy seemed to notice my discomfort.

"Come on. I know a good place to talk. I'm sure you still have some questions." Percy said. I nodded and without reluctance turned my back to the rest of the legion. Maybe Dylan wouldn't answer the rest of my questions, but that wouldn't stop me from getting the answers I wanted, and Percy seemed willing to give them.

He lead me toward the south end of the camp, past the senate house and the city. We stopped at a hillside overlooking a veiw unlike anything I had ever seen. I lived in a pretty scenic place, but this took the the breath out of me. A beautiful sparkaling ocean view was in front of me. The ocean stretched out for miles, a clear blue-green expanse that reflected the sparkling of the sun. The glare made my eyes dance. There was a small handmade dock, but no boats attatched. White sand, fine and soft, crawled toward us. I closed my eyes and felt the spray of the water on my cheek, and smelled the salt in the wind as it hit my clothes. The sun was starting to set, casting purples and oranges and pinks across the sky, like a real life mural.

Percy sat down on the sand, his feet inches from the lapping tide. I joined him, and scrunched some moist sand under my feet. "So, you said you can answer some of my questions?" I looked at him.

"Sure. Just ask." Percy seemed unbothered by anything. He was relaxed and calm, unlike Dylan, who always seemed to be wound up tighter than Cassie's magic violin bow. I glanced at Percy's orange shirt, which was a different style than the others.

"Why is your shirt different? It has different words and colors than everyone else's." I cocked an eyebrow.

"Sure. See, I'm from a similar camp, up in New York. It's for greek demigods, and we wear different shirts. I'm just staying here for a few weeks while my girlfriend and I apply for collage in New Rome." He said it way to casually. Oh, by the way, as if roman demigods aren't enough, there are greek ones too! I forgot to tell you that.

Percy fingered a leather string around his neck as he talked. "What's that?" I asked. I know, I'm such a girl. All my questions can be answered and the first ones I asked are about clothes. Talk to my lawyer.

"Here at Camp Jupiter, you get a bar tattoo for each year of service. At my camp, we get a bead for every year. Each bead is unique, and symbolizes the big event of the year." Percy held up his necklace so I could see it better. "The first one, with the trident? That was the year I was claimed. The year after that, the fleece represents the year some friends and I went on a quest to get the golden fleece. And this one, with the maze, that one is about the battle of the labyrinth, when Luke used the labyrinth to invade camp."

"Luke?" I had been fairly good at the mythology units in school, and I didn't recall there being a hero named Luke. Percy winced and ran a hand through his hair, which just flopped back into his face.

"I'm getting ahead of myself. I'll try and spare you from a history lesson, but-"

"Did someone say history lesson?" A girl knelt into the sand beside Percy. She was the girl who had come into the senate house with him.

"Spare me." I rolled my eyes.

"Annabeth, daughter of Athena." Annabeth held out her hand. I took it, and gave it a quick shake.

"Leila. Daughter of Neptune." I guess I was coming to terms with the greek/roman thing. Although, after the initial shock of finding out just one type of gods existed, not much is a surprise.

"Leila, I promise I'll answer more questions later, but right now, there's something we need to try." Percy said. He stood, dusted off his pants, and offered me his hand. I took it and he led me to the edge of the ocean. Annabeth followed from a distance, as if she knew what Percy had in mind.

"What are we doing?" I asked. Percy pointed to the waves at our feet.

"See if you can control them. Use the tug you feel when you're in danger to your advantage." Percy told me, then stepped back. I reached out a hand to the waves and tried every trick in the book to get them to move.

I imagined there being a string from my hand to the water. It didn't move. I thought of my palm as a magnet, drawing the water toward it. The water just lapped at my feet, as if it was taunting me. Who knew water could be as stubborn as me? I crossed my eyes in concentration and thought solely about the water. I even did some Chinese mantras to help my focus.

Word from the wise; Water doesn't appreciate meditation.

Up on shore, Percy and Annabeth whispered urgently. I had a feeling this wasn't how it was supposed to go. Frustration built inside me. The harder I tried, the more I failed. I was a tea pot steaming over.

In a moment of childish despair, I stomped my foot into the sand.

Mistake number one.

I felt a force beneath my foot move, an age old object stretching its muscles. A crack appeared next to me and I felt it feed off my anger. I let it.

Mistake number two.

Percy stared at me with wide eyes, in awe. Annabeth looked a little more convicting, and I realized the worst was far from over. My stomach plummeted when I heard an eerie wail spread through the hills. The only thing I had heard even close to it was the tornado siren in the mountains of Colorado. Annabeth cocked her head and listened. The entire camp seemed to stop and stare at the sound coming from the entrance to camp.

Earthquake sirens.

If you thought my magnitude five earthquake in Chicago was bad, get ready to see the ugly. The ground seemed to implode. The rolling hills took on a whole new meaning. It felt like a giant had stepped on the ground. Or stomped, rather. People fell like bowling pins. Buildings jumped, and some of the older, abandoned buildings fell back with a collapsed wall or a broken in door. Some terra-cotta roofing on nearby houses shattered to the ground. The ocean seemed to pull back from the shore. Annabeth grabbed my hand and started running away from the water.

I remembered something my science teacher had told me. Shockwaves from earthquakes can cause a massive wave called a tsunami. Annabeth turned and pointed to something out in the distance. I went wide eyed, starring at gigantic wall of water racing forward.

Well, at least I had moved the water, right?

My heart climbed into my throat when I saw Percy standing vulnerably at the edge of the beach. He didn't move until the wave was almost on top of him. I watched as he thrust out his hands. The water seemed to halt. It was like a painting, Percy standing under a wave that was frozen mid-chrash. He moved his hands out in a shove, and the water sprang backward, raining harmlessly back into the ocean.

Well, crisis averted.

Percy turned and stared at me, not it accusation, but in raw amazement. Annabeth looked at me with calculated eyes. "Come on, Leila. It's getting late. We should show you were the barracks are." Percy said finally. I exhaled. They weren't going to kick me out.

"Don't worry about the earthquake." Annabeth said. "This isn't the first power related mishap. It's almost expected of newbies to have an accident. The camp is built to withstand them." She chattered on about the structural details of all the buildings that help prevent damage all the way to the barracks.

The barracks were near the center of camp. From the looks, they held about twenty each. "Dylan's barrack has some room. You'll be sleeping with him." Annabeth told me. "That came out wrong." She blushed when she realized what she had just said. My cheeks burned a darker shade than Rachel's hair. Percy pinched the bridge of his nose before finishing the instructions Annabeth gave me.

"Basic supplies will be on your bunk. Since your older, you don't have a curfew, but don't stay up too late." Percy advised. "Here. This one is yours." He dropped me off in front of the barrack. "See you in the morning."

"You don't stay in a barrack?" I asked, wondering if Dylan will be willing to take Percy's spot through the night.

"We share an apartment in New Rome, for visits." Annabeth told me. She waved and they walked down the road, leaving me at the steps to my new home. I walked inside and was surprised at the lack of proof teens live there. It looked like a team of maids had spent the entire afternoon there. Every bed was tightly tucked in, clothes folded, items locked away in chests. Bunk beds were spick and span.

I really hope they don't expect that of newbies. I mean, have you seen my dorm at Intercity?

One bunk was empty, no sheets or items. Sitting on the bunk below it was Dylan. One or two other campers milled around. Dylan stood when he saw me. "Your bunk," he pointed to the bed above him before returning to ignoring me.

I climbed up the ladder without a word. The only supplies I had were the ones they had left on my bunk. A toothbrush, a purple shirt, new shoes, jeans, other necessities, and a slab of clay strung on a leather cord. The word Probatio was engraved on it. I slung it over my neck. It felt like dog tags, not a stylish piece of jewelry, but a way to identify your burnt body when you died in battle.

I laid down and stared at the ceiling. I could hear Dylan beneath me, filling out some paperwork and talking to himself. The irresistible urge to ask him the question that was nagging me overtook me. "Hey." I rolled over the edge so I could see Dylan. He glanced up at me, but shook his head and returned to his work. "Hey!" I repeated, louder.

When Dylan still didn't respond, I reached out and knocked his papers to the ground. "Look at me." I snapped.

Dylan cussed in Latin, then turned a murderous glare to me. "What?" He shouted.

"Why didn't you volunteer for me this evening? Is superstition really enough to overcome friendship?"

Dylan sighed and rubbed his temple. I could see him debating wether to answer honestly or not. "Because the last person I volunteered for fell in love with me." He said.

Well, can you spell unexpected? "Ahh. And you didn't love her back." I finished.

"I never said that. I did love her, but then-"

"She broke up with you?" I guessed.

"Will you let me finish? Gods, I forgot how annoying you are." Dylan took a deep breath, and I sensed him reaching deep into his patience reservoirs. "No, it wasn't unrequited love. No, we didn't break up. She DIED. Over a year ago, in the Titan war,"

AN: I just wanted to take a moment to thank all my readers. I read all your comments and they mean so much. The first forum I posted this on brutally ignored it. So thanks for reading my story!


	11. The ghost of girlfriends past

Chapter ten

The ghost of girlfriends past

Dylan promptly stalked out of the barrack and into the city, forcing me to accept what he had just said without question. I rolled back onto my bunk and starred at the dismally white ceiling. Without anymore distractions, Rachel's prophecy rang in my ears.

Child of power, make the ground shake.

And to the giant's slumber wake.

To see a friend trapped in his jaws.

War, destruction and chaos cause.

The only line I could figure out was child of power, because shaking the ground? That was undeniably me. From what I had heard, I would wake up one of Gaia's sons, a giant, though we didn't know which one.

To see a friend trapped in his jaws. That one had me. The nearest thing I could figure was that it meant he would kill a friend of mine, probably by eating him. The only true friend I had here was Dylan. I didn't want him to die. I wanted him to live to become praetor. The prophecy had made it clear that I would cause trouble and war. I would ruin lives and cause death, all because I awoke a giant.

In the back of my mind, I couldn't help but wonder what would happen if I died. Maybe the prophecy would reverse itself, and the giant would fall asleep again. In my heart though, I knew that I couldn't be that lucky.

I closed my eyes, knowing that the dreams that came would hardly be a comfort.

I was in a cave, a hollowed out underground space that smelled like dirt and water and mud. It was so overpowering, I gagged and almost threw up. I heard a smashing sound deeper in the cave and the ground rumbled. And no, this time, it wasn't me.

Well, how refreshing.

The sounds continued in an even pattern, moving closer and closer, until my sleep clouded brain realized what was happening. I dove behind the nearest rock and watched as a giant, the size of a small apartment building, stepped into view. He brought with him the smell of salt and fish. His hair was the same shade of green as mine.

Well, that decided it, I'm going back to blonde.

"Awake at last!" He bellowed. The cave shook and I ducked behind my rock again, making sure no stalactites were going to rain down on my head. "Mother, you have been disgraced. I will avenge you!" He punched the cavern wall and small stones and rock coated me in grime. "The Olympians will bow their knees and crown you, starting with Neptune. I will kill them!"

Seemed like the wrong time for a monologue to me, but hey, I don't judge.

Much... Okay, I do. Get over it.

Since we appeared to be on the set for a cheesy Hollywood movie, I debated jumping out from my rock and shouting 'you won't get away with this!'

But I decided the giant would probably just step on me, then shave my hair and use it as extensions.

"Just watch mother! In a week's time, my revenge will be fulfilled!" I squeezed my eyes shut and held my hands over my ears. The last thing I needed now was a blown in eardrum. The echoing roar slowly dissipated into a whole new cacophony.

When I opened my eyes, I saw a raging battle. I was atop a black mountain in the middle of the night. A brilliant light flooded the battle field regardless of the time. It traced back to a glowing humanoid man. The world around me was a blur, but I could make out a few familiar faces.

Reyna was locked in battle with a monster I'd never seen before. Dylan and Mika were on the other side of the mountain, standing back to back, swords drawn. Cassie kneeled on the ground, her bow drawn to her chin. Another girl stood behind her, one I hadn't seen around camp. She held her spear limply, the fear on her face easy to see. I don't know why, but out of all the people in battle, my eyes were drawn to her.

A memory of her tickled the back of my mind. Dylan had pulled out his wallet once, to buy me a soda at Intercity. There had been a picture of her in the spot meant for an ID. She looked vaguely Indian, with long, flowing black hair I would have killed for.

Apparently, I wasn't the only one.

A large dog, black as night, bounded toward the two girls. Cassie let her arrow loose, but the dog jumped with impossibly quick reflexes. It bowled over Cassie, knocking her onto her back. Long strips of her shirt were torn away. Three or four parallel cuts shredded her skin.

The dog continued as if he saw girls bleeding to death on the ground all the time. It howled in triumph as it closed in on the dark haired girl. She screamed in terror, attracting attention from every corner of battle. "Daniella! No!" I turned my head and saw Dylan shoving aside monsters, running to help.

He was too late. The dog had Daniella in his jaws, biting down like she was a chew toy. It tossed her hard and she careened limply into the side of the mountain. Rocks and dust skittered into the air when she hit and I could tell from the way her neck snapped on impact that she was already dead.

I woke up to a hand on my shoulder, shaking me awake. Dylan stared at me, concern on his face. Daylight streamed in through the windows. "Leila, they're serving breakfast." I looked up. The barrack was dead empty. I had slept in again.

Some things never change.

I pulled myself into sitting position, still imagining a black dog lunging for Daniella's chest. There was no question in my mind as to who Daniella was. Dylan's ex-girlfriend, though not an ex by choice. Heat boiled in my throat as I wondered if they would still be together if she hadn't bit the dust early.

'Demigods die young,' Dylan had said. Now I knew why it was so personal. I pulled a spare shirt left on the corner of my bed on and jogged back up to the dinning pavilion.

Cassie had saved a seat for me, moving her violin from the couch when I approached. Her smile was genuine and she radiated happiness. It was hard to believe she was the same girl who had been lying on the ground, bleeding out in my dream.

I was served a steaming plate of M&M pancakes and water. I didn't have much of an appetite, but out of respect to to the chef, I managed a few meager bites. I noticed a tired look in Dylan's eyes. He must've had nightmares too. Maybe he had stayed up all night, thinking about the life he might have known with Daniella.

My stomach turned at the thought and I shoved my plate away. Cassie looked up at me, startled. "You okay?"

"I need to talk to you." I said slowly. Cassie looked at Mika, who shrugged, as if dismissing her from the conversation. Cassie stood, and Mika redirected her chattering to Dylan. They were probably talking about the best way to impale someone, or the pros and cons of every tank in the book.

Cassie led me behind the dinning pavilion, where a brick wall would hide our words. "What's wrong?" She looked at me with wide eyes.

"Dylan. His ex- the one who died-" my mouth twisted at the prospect of more than one. "What was her name?"

Cassie hesitated, like this wasn't the conversation she had anticipated. Granted, it probably hadn't been. "Daniella." She said finally.

Someone had pulled the rug out from under my feet. The world spun beneath me and I grabbed the brick wall for support. "How did...how did she die?" Despite the stories I heard, I refused to believe my dreams could be true.

"A hellhound." Cassie chewed her lip. "During battle on Mount Tam, it attacked her. I tried to stop it and-" Cassie trailed off, and after a moments hesitation, hiked up the corner of her shirt.

Four long, parallel, angry pink scars trailed from her collarbone to her hip. "I only survived because my granddad is Apollo. As the god of healing, he passes on the trait of quicker repair and regeneration to his offspring. It's only a little more than an average demigod, but it made the difference." Cassie pulled her shirt back down, hiding her scars. "A half inch to the left, and the hellhound's claws would have shredded my heart. Daniella didn't get so lucky."

I was silent. Cassie shuffled on her feet, shifting her weight uncomfortably. "They tell us to be proud of our scars." She blurted out. I looked up, silently encouraging her to continue. "They say we should see them as badges of honor, medals of bravery. But that's not how I see mine. They aren't badges of honor, they're marks of failure. A constant reminder of a friend I couldn't save."

"Everyday, they're there, staring back at me in the mirror, waiting for me to change my clothes, so the guilt can haunt me while I sleep. It should have been me the hellhound killed. I was the first it attacked, but it could smell Daniella's fear. It's over a year later, and I still cry myself to sleep." Cassie closed her eyes.

"A word from the wise, Leila. You're going to go on a quest soon, everyone knows it. You'll take part in battles, do heroic deeds. But be careful not to collect scars." Cassie opened her eyes and I saw tears glint behind her iris's.

"I promise." I told her. Cassie nodded, and before I could ask her more about dreams, she turned and ran down the hill, as if running from her past. I looked up and saw why. Dylan and Mika were walking toward me, laughing and joking. My mind was still reeling from Cassie's retelling of my dream, along with they fact that, HEY, my dreams are real!

Which meant the giant I saw wasn't waking. He was already awake.


	12. Can you spell Denied?

Chapter eleven

Can you spell Denied?

The sword clattered out of my hand and spun onto the arena floor. Dylan held the point of his blade to my neck, a smile playing across his lips. As much as he enjoyed winning, I could see frustration boiling under his false smile. "Focus, Leila." He snapped. In all fairness to me, sword fighting under a blazing ninety plus degrees, with an already pre-occupied mind was excruciatingly difficult.

Percy and Annabeth sat nearby, watching me train. My feet were numb from shuffling and standing for hours on end. The sword in my hand grew heavier by the second, my arm burning. "Just give me a break. Just a quick rest, then I'll be focused, I promise!" I begged him. Dylan scrunched his nose like he planned to make me practice until I fell down in exhaustion. I fixed him with a pleading look and his shoulders sagged.

"Fine. Ten minutes." Dylan agreed. He shrugged off his biker jacket, throwing it to the side. It was the first time I'd ever seen him without it on. I had started to worry the thing was super glued to him.

I shook myself out and staggered to Percy's side. Annabeth moved to the side, giving me room to fall on my butt. Annabeth smiled at me, handing over a cup of water. "How's your second day going?" She asked.

I chugged the glass of water before answering. "Would be better if I got a restful sleep." Percy gave me a knowing smile.

"Dreams?" It was more like a statement than a question.

"Dreams." I confirmed. I hesitated for a moment before deciding I had to tell someone. "Percy, have you ever battled giants?" I asked. Someone else had to know doomsday was happening.

"More than my share." Percy and Annabeth shared a sad look, similar to the look Cassie had when she talked about Daniella. They were thinking of a friend who fought a battle they couldn't win.

"Have you ever seen one with green hair?" I inquired. Annabeth went ridged beside me.

"What shade of green?" Percy suddenly looked tired.

"Like...like this!" I grabbed a handful of my hair and yanked it in front of me, nearly snapping my own neck in the process. I could see the tombstone: R.I.P Leila, who snapped her own neck showing of her grassy mane. Go ahead and slow clap. I deserved it.

"That's Polybotes. The enemy of my- our- dad. The anti-Posidan. Why?"

I spilled it all. My dream, the prophecy, the whole ten yards, or meters, for you people who don't know how to measure things properly. I almost told them about Daniella, but decided that it wasn't my story to tell.

"Well, that sounds..." Annabeth trailed off, a frown on her face.

"Bad." Percy summed up.

"Practice's over." I looked up at spotted Dylan hovering overhead. His jacket was back on, his sword sheathed at his side. "From now on, it's life or death." He grabbed my arm, hauling me to my feet.

"We have to tell Frank." I said.

"I know." Dylan said quietly. "That explains this morning." I didn't dare correct him. Why let him know that I knew what he though I didn't know that... you know what? Never mind.

It was an awkward walk to the barracks.

Dylan pointed to a small building in the middle of the barracks. "Frank's house. Praetors get their own rooms." He knocked on the door and stepped back.

"Who is it?" I heard Frank call from the small house.

"The Grim Reaper!" Dylan shouted. "I'm here for your soul!" Frank opened the door, rolling his eyes. I'm not so sure I would willingly open the door to the man of death, but to each man his own.

"What is it?" Frank looked between us, scrunching his eyebrows.

"The prophecy." Dylan said. "Leila had a dream." Frank gave me a hard look. Despite the fact Dylan hadn't told Frank outright I was the 'Child of Power' Frank seemed to know what he was referring to. You just can't keep secrets like you used to.

"You better come in." Frank waved his into the doorway. The house was significantly smaller than the barracks, but more spacious as only one person used it. Like the barracks, Frank's house was neat, impossibly tidy.

A girl sat on a chair in the corner, her back to us. She had curly, dark hair with light brown highlights. "Hazel," Frank called to her. "It's time you met Leila." Hazel turned around and almost passed out when she saw my hair. Her eyes widened to the size of saucers and I thought she was going to pass out.

"He-hello," she managed to splutter out.

"Hazel, Frank, you two fought Polybotes, didn't you?" Dylan asked. Frank nodded. "Leila had a dream. He's the giant in the prophecy. He's already awake."

Frank bit his lip. "We need to order a quest."

"Of course we do! Frank, Leila and I are the perfect candidates!" Dylan pleaded. I figured it wouldn't do to have me interject with the fact that 'Leila' was right there. Frank held up a hand to silence Dylan.

"It's too dangerous." Frank insisted. "Polybotes will expect us to send you. We need to be more stealth than that." When Dylan opened his mouth, Frank cut him off. "Surely Dylan, as a fellow son of war, you understand that it will not do to send in a calvary with blaring sirens."

"Then what's your plan, O brilliant leader?" Dylan snapped. "Who is incognito enough for you?"

"Quests can only be led by centurions," Frank thought aloud. His smile widened when he came up with the solution. "Mika can lead it. Reyna will agree with that."

"You don't trust me to lead two other demigods, but you'll leave an entire cohort in my control?" Dylan's voice went icier than the Antarctic. I decided the door looked pretty good.

"You know that's not what I'm trying to say." Frank protested. "We need you here. You're the best man we've got, and if a battle's coming, we can't just send you away."

"Yeah. I'm sure that's your reason," Dylan's shoulders sagged, but he didn't argue anymore.

"I'll get Reyna, and things will be finalized by lunch!" Frank said, delighted. He headed for the door, but turned back briefly. "It's best if we kept this secret. Understand?"

"Perfectly." Dylan snarled. Frank stepped out of the house, an invitation to leave. Without a word, Dylan stormed away, leaving me with a rather uncomfortable Hazel. I could feel her staring at my hair. What, is she from the 1970's or something? You'd think she'd never seen dyed hair.

"Well," Hazel shifted her weight awkwardly. "See you at lunch." Essentially, I'll see you again in five minutes anyway but something about you makes me uncomfortable, so I'd rather be gorged by the minotaur then spend the extra time with you. Wonderful. Another confidence boost.

Since lunch was set to start in a few minutes anyway, I set out to the dinning pavilion. I caught a glimpse of Cassie playing with who I asumed were her half siblings. She was a whole different person than the one from this morning, happy, cheerful. She waved her bow at me in greeting when I passed.

My sword slapped my leg with each step, bouncing along in time. I got a few waves from other campers nearing the dinning hall. I tried for a smile and sunk into my usual seat. My cup filled with water and I caught a glimpse of myself in its glassy surface. Blue pants, purple shirt, green hair. I looked like a freaking defective rainbow. I glared at the water, willing it to move. It didn't budge.

Stubborn liquids.

My table filled up with the normal people. Cassie and Mika slid in next to me, and coming in a little late, Dylan. Maybe Cassie and Mika could sense the mood, or were just hungry, because no one said a word. Halfway through lunch, Reyna and Frank summoned Mika, taking her down a path to chat.

She was being assigned the quest. They finished their talk, and Frank and Reyna each grabbed another camper. Mika's quest mates. I clenched my fork tighter in my hand. Regardless of whether I wanted it or not, it should have been my quest. Dylan glared at the ground. "Okay, you two!" Cassie slammed her plate onto the table. "What bites?"

"The quest. They gave it to Mika, but it should've been mine. The prophecy is about me." I said.

"Quest?" Cassie furrowed her brow. "What quest?" I explained as quickly as I could.

"It's because you're inexperienced." Cassie guessed. "Frank probably doesn't want the fate of the world resting on a newbie's shoulders."

"That doesn't change the fact that they stole Leila's prophecy." Dylan muttered. Cassie sat back in her chair.

"It could still be your quest. It was about you. No matter who the quest goes to, it doesn't change the fact that it's your destiny." She said slowly.

"What are you suggesting?" Dylan smiled, like he already knew what Cassie was going to say.

"We ditch. Jump gun, abandon ship. I'm suggesting we go on our own quest." She smiled. Dylan bit his lip to contain his smile.

"We'd be breaking roughly fifty laws, but I'm game." He said. They both turned to me.

"Desertion is against the law, but that's never stopped me before." I agreed.

"We'll have to go after night." Dylan said. "They'll see us otherwise."

"Meet at the gate at midnight?" I asked. My heart was in my throat. I couldn't believe Dylan was actually going along with this.

"Midnight." Cassie echoed.

"Bring provisions." Dylan advised.

"See you at midnight." We all stood, disappearing into the departing lunch crowd.


	13. we hitch a ride with the god of cheesy

AN: I know these last few chapters were fillers, but it was information that comes into play again, but this is the turning point, so to speak, so things do pick up. Thanks for your cooperation and patience. I'm also re-thinking my playlist for this story, so if you have music you think describes the story, tell me what it is!

Chapter twelve

We hitch a ride with the god of cheesy poetry

It was a new moon, darkness creeping into the camp. By the time I slipped out of my bunk, a precarious undertaking considering it creaked with any sudden movement, Dylan was already gone. He had left dinner early and I had seen him packing a backpack. He hadn't even come back to the barracks after.

I hugged my backpack closer. Its contents were simple; my only change of clothes, my dagger, and what little scraps I salvaged from dinner. I shoved my sword through my belt and checked to make sure my mother's necklace was still around my neck. I opened the door as quietly as I could, slipping into the cold night. Across the way, I saw Cassie darting out of her barrack. She kept her step light, almost floating to my side. Her backpack was significantly fuller than mine.

We crept up the hill, covered by darkness. I could vaguely make out the shape of a person crouched at the crest, waiting. Whoever it was could be a a danger to our escape. My heart crawled into my throat. I whispered to Cassie and we stretched out flat on the ground. The shadow moved closer and I pressed my face into the grass, heart pounding. If we were caught, it would all be over. Utter silcence made my skin crawl, like an antelope sensing a nearby tiger. It was almost a releif when the grass rustled near my head. My fingers dug into the dirt like a lifeline.

"If you're planning to go on a rule-breaking tirade, I'd suggest wearing something besides a neon purple teeshirt." Dylan stood directly above us, shaking his head. His crooked smile told me he had been planning to scare us all along.

"One does not give his rule-breaking comrades a heart attack on night one." I hissed, embarrassed I had mistaken Dylan. He offered me a hand, and I took it purely out of politeness.

"My apologies, Princess." Dylan rolled his eyes at me and I made a sign that would have made a nun faint.

"I'm here too!" Cassie complained, pulling grass strands out of her hair. "If I'm going to be third-wheeled, I would appreciate a heads up." She pouted.

"It's not like...we're not...that's not how..." I spluttered, sentences tripping over themselves as they rolled off my tongue.

"Speak in sentences much?" Cassie rolled her eyes, pointing to the gate. "What's the game plan?" I followed her gaze. Two metal dogs-one silver, one gold-patrolled the exit. I knew there would also be a camper on the mortal side. Dylan pulled a plastic bag out of his pocket. Dog treats rattled around inside. I raised an eyebrow, but didn't argue as Dylan approached the dogs, mainly because I had no plan B.

The dogs' snouts shot into the air as he crept closer. "Hi there," Dylan whispered, slowly extending a handful of the treats. They sniffed it, distracted, and nibbled at the kibble. "Good dogs," Dylan praised, dumping the rest of the treats on the grass. The dogs lunged for them, abandoning guard dog status completely. Dylan backed away, waving us toward the exit. Following his example, Cassie and I picked our way carefully passed the dogs. The gold one lifted his head and stared at me as I walked by.

"Go chase a parked car." I snapped.

The tunnel was pitch black, light a forbidden concept. Above us, I heard rumbling and wind, the anthem of a busy highway, even at midnight. I shuffled along, knowing that if I picked up my feet too much in this lighting, I would face plant. I could hear Cassie's breath, but couldn't see her face. The tunnel seemed endless when you couldn't see the door. I took a final step forward and my foot hit a metal door hard. I bit back choice words and opened the door a crack.

It wasn't much brighter outside, but I could see a guard a little younger than me standing watch. Sneaking past her undetected would be insanely difficult, if not impossible. "I've got this one." Cassie said. I heard her shuffling around in her quiver, withdrawing an arrow.

"By the gods, you're not going to SHOOT her, are you?" Dylan asked, somewhere behind me.

"Relax, it's not lethal. Most of the time." I could hear Cassie's smile. I'll admit, this side of her was a little freaky. I felt a cool surface brush my arm. Cassie had expanded her bow. "Open the door." She hissed.

I hoped this wouldn't count as being an accomplice to murder. I yanked the door open and Cassie jumped into the mortal world. "Hey!" She shouted, arrow knocked and string pulled to her chin. The guard turned around, immediately raising her sword. Cassie let the arrow loose and it sunk into the guards arm, just below the armor. It wasn't a deep shot, but I gulped as the guard stumbled backward. A confused look spread across her face and she yanked the arrow out of her arm, confirming it wasn't a deep wound. She staggered backward and slumped forward, out like a light.

Cassie blew a strand of hair from her face. "Tranquilizing arrow," she informed me. Dylan and I ducked out from behind the door, the highway stretching in front of us. It was hard to believe the mortals didn't question four teens engaging in a midnight battle. That's the mist for you.

Cassie grabbed her arrow, shoving it back into her quiver. Her bow shrank down, and it too was stored in the quiver. A cold fist hugged my heart when I realized this was as far as we planned. "What now?" I asked. We had no transportation, no funds, minimal food, and a limited amount of time to get to Rome.

Cassie frowned. "Well, we could try hitchhiking to an airport," she offered. I shuddered at the memory of the last airport I'd been to.

I was about to say so, but my mind was made for me when a sports car rolled up next to us.

A coat of glimmering red paint and black decals certainly made the car stand out. Dylan and I shared a suspicious glance. The window rolled down, revealing a man, maybe nineteen, with gold hair that shimmered like the sun. Despite the hour, he was wearing reflective ray-bans. He stuck one arm out of the window to give him balance as he stuck his head out. "You kids need a ride somewhere?" He asked. Cassie bit her lip. A random guy shows up at midnight and asks if we need a ride. Don't try and tell me it was out of the goodness of his heart. I'll bet his ray-bans were hiding monstrous eyes and his white teeth were concealing fangs.

"We're fine, thanks. Just out for a little...midnight stroll." I said, plastering a fake smile on my face, though in reality I was cringing at the terrible lie. The mystery teen laughed, shaking his head.

"Leila, Leila, Leila," he tutted. I froze at the sound of my name. We hadn't told him anything about ourselves. "You've got a tough path ahead of you. Let me give you some advice." He continued, his face turning serious. "Don't argue with a god."

Dylan stiffened next to me. The teen-sorry, god-snapped his fingers and the passenger doors opened. I folded my arms in defiance. Being kidnapped, even if it was by a god, was not on my list of things to do. I opened my mouth, but Dylan shook his head. "Just do what he asks." He said. I frowned, but slid into the car, cold leather pressing into my back. Cassie took the middle seat and Dylan climbed in last.

"There," the god smiled at us. "That wasn't so hard now, was it?"

"Yeah, yeah," I snapped. "Now can you tell me where you're taking us?"

The god pulled the car back onto the highway, merging way easier than should be possible. "Dearest Leila, that all depends on where you want to go."

"That sounds like a line from a poem." I snorted. Dylan elbowed me in the ribs in a blatant 'shut up' gesture.

"Accurate enough." The golden haired god agreed. "Hey, Cassie?" He asked. She looked up from her quiver. "That was a nice shot. The reason you're my favorite grandkid." Cassie blinked rapidly. The look on her face conveyed the message of surprise.

"Apollo?" She asked, her voice shrinking in terror and shock.

"God of prophecy, poetry, music and archery, at your service." Apollo drummed his fingers on the steering wheel.

"Why are you here?" I asked, my curiosity piped. Apollo turned back around to face us. For someone who was driving, he seemed to be doing that way too often. He raised his ray-bans and I realized his eyes were like mini-suns, glittering, gleaming, gold.

"Call it a guilty conscience. I have a problem with...neglecting my children and grandchildren. I try to interact, but us immortals have no sense of time." Apollo winced, as if thinking of someone who had never known their dad. "Even Cassie's gifts, I wasn't there in person. Hermes took them to her. But I foresaw what you were going to do, and I though, why not make up for that with a piece of advice?" Apollo fell silent, turning back to the wheel.

"So what is it?" I asked. "The, uh, piece of advice?"

"You won't be able to fly." Apollo chuckled. "Though, you've probably figured that out. However, in three hours, a cruise ship will be leaving the port. It's first stop is Greece. Get off there. What happens next is up to you."


	14. I'm kidnapped by starbucks drinks

Chapter 13

I am kidnapped by stormy Starbucks drinks

The Sea Siren would be a marvelous ship if I was looking for a vacation spot. It made the new Disney cruise ships look like a ship made from warped, mismatched legos. Everything was white and polished and I had to resist the urge to steal Apollo's sunglasses. It had taken us a few hours to get to the harbor, but even in the three AM moonlight, it was a goddess.

I hoped that wasn't a offensive statement to the Olympians.

All in all, I felt too painstakingly poor to even look at the ship.

"This is as far as I go," Apollo said, clapping Cassie on the shoulder. "Good luck with your first quest."

Cassie smiled and as Apollo turned to leave, she blurted out, "Maybe, when this is all done and over, I can meet you again?" Her eyes went wide, as if she hadn't meant to say it aloud. Apollo's eyes clouded over and I caught a glimpse of sorrow and sadness in them.

"Of course," he said, forcing a smile. "Us immortals always make time for our favorites." The statement sounded hollow, a promise Apollo never intended to keep. I didn't want to think about what that would mean.

A beeping sound broke the following silence. Apollo cursed and checked his watch. "That's my call. Looks like Hong Kong is getting a late sunrise today." He snapped his fingers and disappeared, leaving a glimmer of sunshine behind him.

Cassie watched his disappearing act with a blissful smile. I glanced at Dylan, seeing a grim expression. Apollo's hesitation hadn't escaped him either. Apollo was the god of prophecy and seeing the future.

Did he know something we didn't?

I shook my head, chiding myself for my paranoia. Gods didn't seem like the kind of parents that were big on family meet-ups and parent/teacher conferences, lucky for me. Next to me, Dylan checked his watch. "We have at least three hours to burn before they start boarding." He informed me.

"We should walk around town, see who our company will be," Cassie said, grabbing my arm, already dragging me toward a group of shops. I took the opportunity to survey my surroundings. While the Sea Siren was a playground for the rich, the boardwalk seemed to be made of family owned business, built from scratch. In front of me, a large, rustic, wooden store called 'Sand and Surf'-though I read And Stuff, due to my dyslexia-advertised low prices and celebrity visits. Through the window, I caught a glimpse of an old surfboard stored in a glass case. A board covered in newspaper clippings sat beneath it.

I couldn't explain it, but I was drawn to the display. Even though no one in their right mind would leave a store unlocked, I tried the door. It swung open with the ding of a welcoming bell. I gingerly set my foot down on the doormat, testing it for traps. When my foot didn't envelop in flame or corrode from acid, I deemed it safe to step inside. Fluorescent lights flickered to life above me, filling the shop with an electrical humming.

My eyes skimmed to the writing underneath the surfboard. 'This was the board used by Katherine Inigo to win her second championship medal.' My mother's name popped out at me like a neon sign. My breath caught and I resisted the urge to touch the glass barrier. I bent down to look at the newspaper clippings beneath the display. They held photos and articles about various other surfers, but the last one was different.

'A shocking revelation from the queen of the sea.' My mother's face, a few years younger, smiled at me. The paper was dusty and old, crumpled, as though someone had clenched it in anger.

'Katherine Inigo revealed Saturday in an interview that she will no longer be taking on the waves. The announcement comes shortly after the break-up between Katherine and boyfriend Neptune, named after the Roman sea god. Katherine has always said it was his name that caught her attention. Neptune has not been seen since Katherine announced the break-up.'

'When asked if Neptune influenced her decision to regain her land legs, Katherine offered this statement, "I suppose so. This is the first time I've told the media, but now I have an incoming family to take care of and no father to help do it. She's going to be a trouble-maker, I can feel it." Katherine laughed at her joke, placing a hand over her stomach.'

My ears rung and my eyes watered. My mom was so young in the picture, no more than twenty-five. Around her neck, the necklace she gave me glittered. I touched my throat. I finally got it. The necklace wasn't a gift from my mom. It was a gift from my dad, as a way to make up for being a jerk to my mom. 'Sorry for leaving you with a screwed up kid. Have this necklace that does nothing as my apology.' Just my luck, Neptune was the biggest imbecile on Olympus. Mars got Dylan safely across the sea to camp. Apollo and Hermes made sure Cassie had survival tools and weapons.

I got a useless necklace. I reached up to tear it off my neck. It could join my mom's shrine for all I cared. "It's not useless," someone behind me called. I whirled, my hand inching for my sword. I saw the buff beach boy, probably a surfer, hold up his hands in surrender. "Easy sis. No need for that. I'm on your side." The smile on the boy's face told me he was probably a god.

"Excuse me? I am not your sister." I said, narrowing my eyes. My sword stayed in my hand.

"Granted." The boy shrugged. "Half-sister, technically. Name's Triton."

"You don't look like a moon to me." I glared. Triton's eyes flashed with exasperation and his nice boy facade crumbled.

"Listen here, Leilani," he spat my full name out. "I'm just here to tell you that dear old dad will do what he can to help. He led you to this shop because he thought it might help explain things. And the necklace isn't useless."

"I don't see it doing anything special." I snapped.

"Well, it does help your face look better. Less hideous." Triton growled.

"Bite me."

"It would only make you look better." Triton grabbed for his own weapon. We were seconds away from a full out duel that I knew I would lose, but I couldn't make myself back down.

On the boardwalk a monster swell of water crashed up from the bay, inching farther up than it should. Triton growled in frustration. "Next time I won't play nice." He dissolved in front of me, leaving the unpleasant smell of fish.

So it wasn't just my dad who was the family psychopath. I stalked toward the door, but paused when I saw the reflection of the surfer shrine. Turning, I relocated the article about my mom and carefully peeled it away from the assembly. It was probably stealing, but what was one more infraction on my criminal record? I put the clipping in my pocket, vowing to give it to my mom one day.

My mom.

My eyes widened in panic when I realized I had never explained anything to her. I rushed out of the shop, sliding on the wet boardwalk. I narrowly avoided slamming into Dylan as I dashed to the nearest pay phone. I dug into my pocket for my remaining change and shoved three quarters into the slot. My fingers shook as I dialed my mom's phone number.

I heard footsteps behind me and hands roughly pulled me away from the phone, throwing me onto the boardwalk. "What are you doing? You're going to get us all killed!" Dylan shouted. Cassie stood to the side, wide eyed, staring at the phone. The pay phone dipped down onto the boardwalk, the cord stretched all the way out.

"Hello? Hello?" I could hear my mom's frantic yet tired voice echoing. I lunged for the phone but Cassie grabbed me and held me back. All the anger and bitterness I had felt toward my mom since she sent me to Intercity melted away, replaced by guilt. These past few days I hadn't even thought of her. I never even had a sprinkle of a thought.

I fought Cassie harder, kicking her stomach, but she gritted her teeth ad just held on tighter. Without a word, Dylan jumped over me and grabbed the phone, slamming it back onto the receiver. "If you try that again, the monsters will catch our tail and we all die. And if we die, the entire world dies." He snapped. "They probably have your mom's line tapped. No calls. No mail. Not until we come back." He lectured me. I stared at the phone, longing to be able to explain.

"I just wanted to tell her goodbye. In case we...I..." The words died in my throat. Anger faded from Dylan's eyes.

"You don't always get to say goodbye," he told me. Cassie let me sit up and I caught a glance at the sunrise. How long had I been in the shop?

"I know that!" I said. "But what would you give to be able to say goodbye?" The look in his eyes told me I had gone to far. I saw his fist clench.

"We have a hour and a half before boarding. I suggest you use it to figure out how we're going to get on." He said. It hit me like a slap that he was challenging me. He didn't think I could do it.

"Fine," I shouted. I turned on my heel, my back to the others and stalked away to the other end of the pier. I sat on the edge, water and sand visible beneath my feet.

Options ran through my head. Cassie had the blood of Hermes. She might be able to hijack a poor tourist's ticket, but I didn't want to risk something so bold.

Which left the option of stowing away, which wasn't much better. I grabbed a stone next to me and hurled it out into the harbor, frustration turning my face red. Ripples spread across the water, lapping my feet, dampening my tennis shoes. It felt good.

That was, until the water bit my toes. I yanked my feet away from the water and stifled a shout. A rainbow colored snout peaked up at me, followed by eyes, ears and eventually a giant body. I stared at the rainbow fish-horse that sniffed me. It neighed and shook its head, slapping its tail out of the water. A small white envelope catapulted off and landed next to my hand. Despite being underwater, it was completely dry.

When I didn't open it immediately, the horse nudged it closer with his snout. I picked it up with two fingers, as if it were poison. Two words were written across the top.

'I'm sorry.'

I ripped the envelope open, pulling out three thick strips of paper, tickets printed in the names of Diego, Cassandra and Katherine Olympia. We were sharing the 'deluxe suite'. I widened my eyes and pet the fish-horse's head. "Thanks, boy." I told him, "and..." I glanced down at the sea before coughing the words out. "Thanks, Neptune."

Even if he just possibly go bankrupt to help us, I wasn't going to be calling him dad anytime soon. I heard Cassie behind me and turned around triumphantly, holding the tickets. She blinked at me in astonishment. I guess she didn't have much faith in me either. "How?" She squeaked.

I turned around to point to the horse but he had disappeared beneath the waves. I glanced down at the water. "Neptune, I guess."

"Well, while you were getting us tickets, I got us breakfast." Dylan threw a small box of donuts in front of me. I dug into it and pulled out a chocolate donut. We ate in silence as the sun became visible again. A bus unloaded a group of tourists and passengers who made a break for The Sea Siren. That was our que. I brushed off my hands and motioned for Dylan and Cassie to follow me aboard.

The security guard let us on without a second glance. Our tickets registered without a hitch. Three room keys were given to me. In two hours, we would be on our way to Europe.

Our suite should have been featured in a Disney movie. Chandelier lighting, three king sized beds, two bathrooms and a balcony. We were only a few stories below deck, so our view extended endlessly over the crystal water. It reflected the sun relentlessly, stinging my eyes. I was surprised to find storm clouds brewing in the distance, coming closer by the second. I leaned on the rail, my face in the sun. My sword's sheath caught the light. I was still reeling from the fact it had gotten through security.

Above me, I could hear the sounds of kids splashing in pools and adults chatting on deck. Why would someone use a plane when they could have this? When the water became too bright to look at, I shifted my gaze to the sky.

The storm clouds where already above us. They must have been moving at jet speeds to come this far. I knew that wasn't right. I reached for my sword and squinted into the sky. I wished I hadn't tried to get a closer look.

They weren't clouds. It was a hoard of...something, black as night. They seemed to be held together by spinning winds. As they got closer, I saw lightning flash between them. Rain coated my cheek and my hair blew in circles around me. I swung my sword, but the blade passed through them harmlessly. A black cloud sounded me, obscuring my vision.

"Venti!" Cassie shouted somewhere behind me. She sounded so far away, quiet compared to the howling wind in my ear. Wasn't Venti a starbucks drink? These didn't look like coffee to me.

I felt arms grab me under my arms and around my waist. The ground disappeared under my feet and I felt the unmistakable terror of flying. My sword was wrenched out of my hand and hurled into the ocean. I withered and kicked, but I passed harmlessly through them. "The more you fight, the harder the fall." The Venti whispered in my ear.

"Where are you taking me?" I shouted, wishing I had another sword.

"We've been summoned to take you to dead girl." One said in haughty english. Dead girl. Now I really wished I had my sword.

It was only a few minutes before I felt the Venti descending. Air rushed around under me. "Prepare for landing." The talker hissed.

"What?" I looked at it like it was crazy. Landing? It just laughed in response and I felt all the hands holding me move away. Gravity gripped me and I was racing downwards. My back slammed into the dirt and I considered myself lucky I hadn't broken my back.

The Venti dissipated, letting me see my surroundings. I was on a misty cliff overlooking a part of the ocean. The ground was barren and black, as if scorched by fire. I could see a figure making its way toward me. I scrambled to my feet, struggling to find my balance. I readied myself to do hand-on-hand combat if needed.

The figure burst through the fog and smiled warmly at me. "Hello, Leila."

Standing in front of me was a person I had only seen in dreams.


	15. I gain a ghost stalker

Chapter 14

I gain Ghost stalkers

Glossy black hair tumbled around her shoulders and she smiled with an innocent positivity. She seemed so...alive.

Even though she was dead.

Daniella bounded toward me and captured me in a hug. Or, tried. Her arms passed through me like mist, cutting across my waist. They left a distinctly frosty feeling, making me gasp in surprise. Daniella stumbled backward sheepishly, glancing at her hands. "Leila. I've been watching you." Daniella said warmly.

"I always wanted a ghost stalker." I muttered and immediately wished I could take it back. Thankfully, ghosts still have senses of humor.

"I'm not the only one. You know of the roman emperor, Caesar?" She bit her lip and whispered to me. I didn't know ghosts could have secrets.

"It's hard not to when there's a salad named after him."

"Good." Daniella went grim. "Follow me." She waved me through the layers of fog, her feet scuffling the ground only slightly. As we walked, I started to notice more...ghostly things about her. The way her feet never seemed to fully connect to the ground. The way her skin shimmered when she moved and blended into the fog. How her hair always appeared to be blown by the wind, even without the air currents.

"So, this Caesar thing. Why is that important?" I asked. Daniella broke her stride, as if I had asked a question that I didn't want to know the answer to.

"You'll see." She said, and I realized her voice was a permanent whisper, slightly faded, like the rest of her. "You aren't scared of ghosts, are you?" The way she said ghosts sent chills up my spine, as if she was referring to them as them instead of we or us.

As if she didn't consider herself one.

"It would seem the answer to that is apparent." I remarked. Daniella glanced back sadly.

"Yes, I suppose it is." The fog around us started to part, revealing a large house made with white marble. It shimmered the same way Daniella did, half real, but not really there. "This is as far as I go." She told me, brushing my arm slightly. I gulped and started toward the door.

"Wait!" Daniella shouted. I turned again and noticed that she fidgeted as she spoke. "You and Dylan, you're pretty close. There's something you need to know. He wants to be happy, but he's going to need help. Will you help him?" She asked pleadingly. I had no idea what I was agreeing to, but I nodded.

"Of course." Daniella smiled.

"Thank you." She said finally. Behind her, the fog swirled in agitation. "I have to go," she stepped back into the fog and...fell apart. She broke into tiny particles of moisture and dissolved into the atmosphere. I imagine if ghosts could die, that was how they would do it.

A happy sign of things to come.

I figured I couldn't exactly go back to the ship. Daniella had made sure I had no clue where I was. It was a subtle threat, do as we ask or be stuck here forever.

I steeled whatever nerves I could muster and walked into the house. It struck me again that in ancient Rome, this would have been a palace, not just a house. I hope roman royalty finds me amusing.

Inside the entryway, guards in shimmering bronze helmets with red plumes were waiting for me. As soon as I entered, polished and pointed spears aimed themselves at my chest. I knew they were ghosts, which meant the spears were probably harmless. Still, I wasn't eager to test my theory.

Reason number one I'm not a scientist.

The guards shifted their spears, corralling me in the direction of purple curtain. Purple, I remembered, was the color of royalty. Two and two started to equal four.

By the time I realized where I was, the guards had already shoved me through the curtain. The room was gleaming in golden glory. In front of me, a large throne of polished marble sat occupied by an equally regal man. He wore purple robes over a white tunic. Thin threads of grey hair swirled over his head, capped off by a green wreath of olive branches. He had the stern expression of someone in charge, with the warm glow of a fatherly figure. Maybe it was my imagination, but I briefly saw a trickle of blood on his neck.

Caesar. Julius Caesar. He held up a hand and the guards immediately halted. He looked expectantly at me and I ungracefully went to my knees. His smile instantaneously returned. "Leila." My name sounded foreign in his voice. "I trust you were brought to me safely?"

"The venti...made sure I didn't fall...far." It was the best compromise I had. Respectful, but still truthful.

"Just as I ordered them to." Caesar sounded pleased, as if he had specifically told the venti the expectable behavior.

"With all due respect, sir, why am I here, and where is here?" I wasn't sure what proper royalty speak for 'where the heck am I' was. The misty spears reminded me to play it safe.

"Leila, you remind me of myself, which is why I called you here. I have two things for you. A gift, a hint, and a warning." Julias sat forward in his throne. "Where you are headed is dangerous. If you were anyone else, you wouldn't have even made it alive this far. When you arrive at your destination, remember this. Water is the window to all worlds."

I mentally committed the words to memory. They were obviously going to be important later. "And finally, the gift. Leila, the soul and spirit of Rome lives within its greatest leaders, even when they die. The power of the city is carried through generations by us. Once a century, when the power and the memory of the city is at its highest, we can choose to give some of that power away." He paused, and I gratefully took a moment to adjust my thoughts. The ancient city lived on through its old leaders, who were all dead.

Seemed legit.

"When we give away that power, it is a rather perilous undertaking." Caesar continued. "That power will grant the receiver a moment of supreme ability, the powers of every major god on olympus. But, they must be strong enough. If the hero is just slightly too weak, slightly too selfish, slightly too cowardly, the power will consume them." There was the bombshell I was waiting for. "The hero may go their whole life without using this gift, as the danger is so great, and the reward can only be reaped once. The choice is entirely up to the hero."

"The choice is entirely up to you." Caesar rose from his throne, placing his hand on my shoulder. "Leila, I grant you the power of the ancient city." I felt a buzzing sensation spread from my shoulder through my back, as if my entire arm and shoulder had fallen asleep.

Maybe it was just me, but after all the hype, I had expected something a little flashier. Maybe a supernova explosion or a blinding light. Although, I'm not sure how good I would do fighting without my eyesight. When Caesar stepped back, I lifted my eyes.

Caesar stepped back, he seemed less whole, not a present, as if the mist that made up his body was starting to fly away, or a breeze had scattered him. "As for where this is, consider this a mist manipulation. Any other explanation will have to wait until you join our ranks."

Ranks? Was this whole thing like a initiation into a ghost cult? I was a rough person, but I wasn't that jagged.

Then I realized Caesar meant he could only fully explain to me when I was dead. I decided rather quickly I wasn't that desperate for full answers. "Thank you, Julius. Can I call you Julius? I feel we're secure enough in our friendship, since you're basically granting me the power of self destruction." I rushed. Julius raised an eyebrow, but didn't contradict me. "Thank you, for all your help. With all respect intended, my friends will be worrying about me. I don't want them to do anything stupid."

"Yes, yes." Julius snapped a finger and the room flooded with the same black tornadoes as before. I tried to stay above my sea of fear. My only consolation was the fact that Julius ha told them not to drop me. At least, not far.

"Remember. The less squirming-" The venti that had spoken to me before began.

"I don't have amnesia." I cut him off and held out my arms to the waiting monsters. "Let's just get this over with."

"Your wish is my command." My arms were yanked upward and I felt cold mist spray my face. I was grateful I hadn't eaten yet this morning. My feet dangled freely beneath me and I hoped I didn't loose my shoes in the sea.

There was a flash of white and I was thrown down onto something fluffy. The venti disappeared and I caught my breath, glancing around me. Ship, sweet, ship. I had been delivered without a head injury. Maybe Neptune is on my side.

Dylan and Cassie burst through the door. "Oh, thank the gods." Cassie said. "You were only gone a second, but I saw the venti and..." She didn't finish.

"Only a second?" It had to have been a half hour at the minimum.

"Well, maybe more like five than one." Cassie conceded. 'A trick of the mist' Caesar had said. That was quite a manipulation.

"What happened?" Dylan narrowed his eyes at me.

"I had a chat with an old friend." Very, very old.

"What could be so important that you needed monsters to pick you up?" Dylan snickered.

"He needed hair advice."

"Really?" Dylan snorted.

"No. But he should have asked for it." I jumped off my bed in a way that closed the discussion. I needed time to process what had happened before I shared it with them.

"Leila!" Dylan snapped. "Don't you trust us enough to-"

"Rainbow." Cassie interrupted.

"Pardon?" I asked. She pointed urgently behind us. A glimmering rainbow was shimmering in the middle of our cabin.

"Please insert one drachma."


	16. I receive a rainbow instant message

(Trigger warning for death and talks of self harm.)

I saw Cassie's hand creep toward her pocket. I vaguely remembered the word Drachma from Dylan's lectures. It was the ancient currency for the Roman empire. He said to always have a few on me, but to my shock, ATMs and money converters didn't recognize the Drachma.

Who would have guessed?

Cassie held out a gold coin, significantly smaller then Apollo's sunglasses. I recognized the whole ritual as what Dylan had called an Iris Message, IMing for old-timers.

In the back of my mind, I entertained the idea that it could be Reyna, giving us a heads-up that she was sending her blood-thirsty dogs after us. Or Frank, labeling us as traitors and deserters, putting a bounty over our heads. I knew it wasn't an overactive imagination, either. These scenarios were dangerously plausible.

I tried my best to become invisible as Cassie tossed her coin into the rainbow. It didn't fall on the other side, like physics demanded. Rather, it disappeared the moment it hit the spray of mist.

Maybe my F in physics hadn't been deserved after all.

I wasn't sure what I expected after that. I certainly hadn't expected to see three bodies lying on the ground in front of me. It was logically impossible that something as cheery as a rainbow could show the scene in front of me.

The ground was charred and covered in ash, grass wilted and brown. Green liquid flowed over the landscape, the color of poison. Snake bodies, as green as my hair, dotted the ground like sprinkles on a cupcake, you know, a really, really burnt cupcake. A sword had skittered across the ground, its sharp edge corroded away to jagged points. A thin layer of mist covered the entire scene, the aftermath of a storm.

And that wasn't the worst of it.

Lying face down, arm outstretched toward the corner of a rainbow, was Mika. Her short hair was tangled with blood and poison. Two fang holes pierced the skin on her neck. A few feet away, two boys I hadn't met had crumpled in similar positions. One had dusty black hair, the type that looked like he had just rolled out of bed. His hand was inches away from a small block of the drug stuff-Ambrosia?-Dylan had used on me. The other boy was significantly younger than the others, maybe thirteen. He had strawberry blond hair that stuck up in little tuffs, looking fluffy and soft. His face was rounded, softened by adolescence. The face he had been frozen on was one of terror and panicked knowledge of death.

Dylan made a sound I had never heard from him, something that seemed halfway between a gasp and a choke. "No," Cassie whispered. 'It's your prophecy. It's your quest.' Hadn't I thought that not twenty-four hours ago?

And because it was my quest, and had to be my quest, they had died. It was hard to say what had happened, but from the number of snake bodies, and live snakes slithering around the scene, it had undeniably been an ambush.

A handful of living snakes crawled along the landscape, slithering across the three bodies. One inched closer and closer to our rainbow and spread its hood in agitation. I could see poison glimmering on its teeth. It made a odd noise and all the other snakes charged forward, rushing toward us. I prayed that Iris Messages could only show images, and only transport Drachmas.

Dylan lashed his sword through the rainbow, shattering the image. The snakes dissolved, and once again I was staring at a plush bed. There was no sign that the gruesome scene had existed. "We're on our own now." Dylan said roughly. A hard lump settled in my throat when I realized what he meant.

There would be no backup. There was no plan B. We were the world's first and final defense. If we failed, the world would fall. A new seriousness coated the room.

"They were poisoned," Cassie bit her lip. "And the snakes, they must be Basilisks. Polybotes's minions. They must have killed the grass and ambushed Mika." The dark part of my mind concluded Apollo's healing and medical legacy must have installed his offspring with the ability to determine how someone died.

Cassie was literally a super-forensic-scientist. If we didn't suffer the same fate, I was recommending her to the FBI. "It couldn't have just been the Basilisks." Dylan argued. I was startled by how hollow his voice was, a shell of his normal, confident tone. "There's too much blood."

I was about to ask him how he could know that, when it occurred to me that someone like Dylan had probably seen wounds like these before. "Maybe the snakes just put up a big fight." Cassie pressed, immune to the don't-push-it vibes Dylan threw off.

"There's too much blood." Dylan repeated, pushing past me. In two quick steps he was across the room, throwing the door to the hallway open. He let it slam shut behind him. Cassie turned her head away, sober. I though of the little boy, terrified, wondering why he had agreed to come along.

I sat on my bed and stared at the ceiling. Too much blood. Something like that must have been inflicted with a weapon. Did Polybotes have other followers that had joined the ambush?

I hadn't meant to fall asleep, but after everything that had happened, I guess my brain decided a nice relaxing nightmare would calm me down. Memo to me: better dreams.

A familiar face, or rather, familiar hair, pierced the dark of sleep. Snaky green hair threaded in half-formed dreads whipped across my eyesight. "It's just you and me now." The hair's matching voice made me shudder. "Do you like the surprise I sent your friends? They made just a little too much headway. In only a few days, though, it won't matter. Tick-tock little demigod. Tick-tock."

It only seemed to last a few seconds, but when I woke up, it was sundown. Cassie's door was closed, and Dylan was still missing. I pulled myself out of bed, knowing someone had to find him soon, before he did something problematic. I scribbled a quick note to Cassie and left it on the door before stepping into the hall.

The air there was crisp and cool. It smelled of fresh laundry, as opposed to the salty sea. I didn't know why, but that somehow disappointed me, as if somehow it lied to me. It just hadn't felt right, laundry smell in the middle of an ocean.

I strode hastily down the hall, resentment bubbling higher with each step on the plush carpet. I caught the nearest elevator, jabbing my finger into the deck level. At the very least, I could be grateful the elevator didn't play 'Let it Go' or something. Though it did play Justin Bieber part of the way up, which wasn't much better.

I examined the surrounding area, the deck crowded with men and women in Gucci or Tommy Hillfeger, or whatever the hottest brand was. I wouldn't have known. I was lucky if I got a new tee-shirt from Goodwill. Dylan, in his ratted jeans and biker's jacket should have been easy enough to spot.

Unfortunately, people like us had perfected the art of disappearing. We had to, if we wanted to live. I had to wander aimlessly, wondering if Dylan was on a lower deck. I was about to give up when I found him leaning against a rail, staring off into the sunset or whatever it is he was looking at. His hair seemed slightly more tossed around than normal. He seemed frozen, unmoved as I approached him. Had he been standing there all day? I sat down by his feet, my head just past his knees. He cast me a quick gaze and sighed.

So Medusa hadn't stoned him after all. I'm not sure that came out how it was meant to sound. "Did you know them?" I asked, when the sound of the sea became overbearing.

"Their names were Blake and Elias. Blake was a son of Vulcan. Elias was a son of Mars. He was Mika's brother." Dylan eventually whispered. He tapped the railing in frustration. I could see his sadness spilling through the cracks in his defense.

"How old was he?" I asked.

"Thirteen." Dylan's voice cracked. I hit my head on the rail, sighing in sadness. The sun had disappeared behind the horizon and the air turned cold. Dylan sat down beside me and felt me shiver. "Here." He dropped his jacket around my shoulders. He was wearing a short-sleeve black teeshirt.

I remembered what Daniella's ghost had told me. 'He wants to be happy, but he needs help.' I turned to Dylan, his jacket shifting on my shoulders. Something on his arm caught my eye. On his bicep, long scars in a group, maybe ten, some old, some newer. "What are those?" I asked, pointing.

"Scars." Dylan said, giving me a-you-gone-crazy-look.

"From what?"

"To heck if I remember. I have more scars than I can count. They're from some monster or sword." I could hear strain in Dylan's voice, like a kid caught texting in class. I knew what monster scars looked like, thanks to Cassie. I knew how swords made their marks. These were different.

Deliberate.

Daniella's words. Always wearing the jacket. The scars. It all clicked into place, the final puzzle piece. "Dylan," I reached out and traced the marks. Lightning tingled on my hand. Dylan flinched away as if he'd been burned. "Why?"

"Reminders, of all the people I failed. I haven't needed to do one since Daniella. I thought I could finally protect everyone." He sighed. I was still reeling, like someone had punched me in the jaw.

"Until this morning." I finished for him. Instead of answering, he rolled up his sleeve. Three new marks for three new souls in the underworld.

"They're reminders to do better, fight harder, save more people." He pulled his sleeve back down with a shrug.

"You couldn't have saved them all." I told him.

"No," he agreed. "But I can try. Part of me knows I can't save them from death, I can only postpone the inevitable. But the other part knows I would never forgive myself if I didn't try."


End file.
